Does your house have a crawlspace? If yes, it is important to keep it dry at all times.
Otherwise, a damp crawlspace is an ideal breeding space for mold and mildew. Further, it attracts termites that destroy the structure of your home. It also attracts unwanted guests like snakes, spiders, and rats.
As a property owner, there are times when your house will become damp. Statistics show that over 98 percent of all homes with a basement experience some type of water damage. Therefore, you need to know how to keep your crawl space dry.
Well, there are different methods of keeping your basement dry. However, you’ll need to know the various factors that bring moisture to your house. This allows you to get a perfect solution on how to keep your crawl space dry.
Outside the Home
There are different factors outside your home that affect your crawl space conditions. For instance, many crawl spaces flood during the wet winter months due to their placement and surroundings.
If your home has a crawl space door on the outside, moisture will creep inside if you don’t shut or seal it properly. Crawl space vents are also responsible for allowing humid air or rainwater into your space.
Inside the House
Other sources of moisture in your house are located inside the crawl space. For example, some homes have a dryer vent on their crawl spaces, such a simple mistake is the leading cause for wet or warm conditions in the crawl space.
Many homeowners will install water heaters on their crawl space. Any leak in the water heater or plumbing system leads to leakages in the surrounding. Failure to address this matter results in high humidity levels, insulation failure, and wood rot.
So, with this information, are you ready to keep your crawl space moisture free? Well, here are the primary tips on how to keep your crawl space dry.
1. Create a Better Drainage System
Improving your crawl space drain system helps prevent rainwater from trickling under your foundation. For this to happen, your soil must have a grading of 0.5 inches per foot.
If possible, buy additional soil to improve the grade. Creating a better drainage irrespective of whether you have gutters prevents rainwater from seeping to your crawl space through the foundation.
2. Insulate Your Foundation
Use crawl space insulation on your exposed foundation walls. 1.5 inch rigid insulation is the best solution for this application.
Engage an expert if you don’t know how to keep your crawl space dry via this method. The expert will tape the seams to prevent any air or moisture from passing through.
3. Cover Your Crawlspace Floor
Another primary tactic on how to keep your crawl space dry is covering its floor space. Here you use a heavy-duty plastic commonly known as a moisture barrier. If possible, choose a thicker barrier as it is highly effective.
When covering the crawlspace floor, do so in continuous runs. Any puncture or accidental holes will not make the barrier ineffective as long as there are no gaping holes.
4. Use a Dehumidifier
Using a crawl space dehumidifier can help dry your crawlspace. Many homeowners who have tried using a dehumidifier have recorded quality results.
Well, there are special commercial grade dehumidifiers manufactured for this purpose. But if the crawlspace isn’t wet, then a large room humidifier will suffice. Just plug in the machine and allow it to run for hours. In the end, you’ll notice a reduction of moisture content in your crawlspace.
5. Use an Electric Fan
What do you do when your crawlspace with high ventilation becomes damp? Well, a large electric fan will be able to help.
Place the fan at the opening of the crawlspace, turn it on and let it run for 10 or more hours. Sometimes, moving air around the crawlspace lets it dry with ease.
Drying out your crawlspace helps keep your home safe. This prevents costly damages.