Why high crawl space moisture costs you money
Crawl space moisture, bugs and Mold
High moisture in a crawl space is the dominating factor when it comes to
odor, structure rot, wood boring insects and Mold problems. Large companies have
been
formed to treat these very specific issues because of the demand to remedy the
problem. Unfortunately, these companies have only been treating the symptoms and
not the real problem. This stems from the homeowner asking for a specific fix or
treatment. For example, if a home has a Mold problem then a Mold company would
be called out to treat the Mold. If the home has a termite problem then a pest
control company would be called out. Each time your home is treated for these
two issues your home is sprayed with chemicals designed to kill something.
Because your crawl space is some place you don't want to be, does not mean your
not exposed to the air from it. If you already have the condition then you
really have no choice, but if you fix the problem (the
moisture) then you will not be saddled with the cost to fix the
Mold or the
termite issue. Even better than that your family will not be exposed to the
chemicals.
Leaky pipe?....Maybe not.
The ground in a crawl space that is 4' below grade stays at or around 55
- 60° F (this is an average) most all the time. When
the temperatures get into the 80's or 90's outside, and the home
 has open
crawl space
vents the crawl space will have
condensation
problems. Condensation happens most often when warm humid air comes in
contact with cooler surfaces like cold water supply lines and air
conditioned duct work. The warmer the air the more moisture it can hold,
this is why summers are humid and winters are dry. For the humid air to condensate on a cool surface it must come in
contact with a surface that is cooler than the waters
dew point. When this
happens the humidity or water vapor turns to liquid water and begins to drip
or saturate the surface. When this happens to A/C duct work the risk of
developing rust is increased, and the rust holes will allow heat/cool
air loss into the crawl space and out the foundation vents. This means higher energy costs for you.
 The
temperature of the air in the crawl
space can make all of the surfaces
cool enough to condensate. It is not
just a problem with water lines and
A/C duct work. When water begins to
condensate on the wood structure the
home runs the risk of
Dry
Rot,
Mold/mildew/fungus growth,
wood
boring insect infestation and
joist splitting due to high moisture
in the wood and freezing
temperatures. This is a perfect
example of why you need to fix the
"problem" and not fix the symptom.
In this case fixing the symptom
might be to grab some old rags and
go into the crawl space and wipe
down all the joists to dry them off.
I know what your thinking; why would
anyone do that, the water is just
going to come back again? Well, it
is no different that buying bug
bombs and letting them off in the
crawl space or spraying for Mold
without stopping the source of the
problem, the moisture. Another
example is if a professional roofer
told you to wait until your roof
started leaking before you replace
it I think that most of us would not
hire that roofer. The same applies
here, why wait until there is damage
before you pay to fix it. That
concept only doubles or triples the
cost.
 High moisture
in the crawl space also causes the
crawl space
insulation in the floor joist to
fall out. Fiberglass insulation is
notorious for falling, drooping and
sagging from the crawl space
ceiling. The fiberglass insulation
becomes useless if it is not inside
the joist cavity properly or it is
wet. The reason this happens is
because the fiberglass insulation
uses tiny pockets to trap air in
order to slow the collide of warm
and cold temperatures. When the
insulation is installed in a high
humidity environment, like a crawl
space, it will trap the air as well
as the moisture. This has two
problems; first the moisture adds a
key ingredient to the successful
growth of Mold/mildew and fungus.
Second, the moisture causes the
insulation to become heavy and then
gravity plays it's part and down it
comes. Pulling out the old droopy
insulation and replacing it with new
dry insulation is simply another
case of wiping down the wet joists
with a rag and not fixing the
problem.
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