Does your home feel damp? Are you experiencing allergy-like symptoms or headaches? Are you constantly smelling must and mold, but aren’t sure where it is coming from? It could be coming from your crawl space. Unfortunately, a bad smell in your residential or business property is usually not a good sign. Oftentimes, a musty, damp smell is indicative of moisture in areas like your crawl space, especially if you have not closed, encapsulated, or conditioned it. Moisture usually means there is mold present. Moisture and mold can lead to health problems and structural damage to your home that could cost you a fortune in years to come. Almost every household will at some point have an issue with their crawl space, so it is nothing to be ashamed of. The government estimates that damp building syndrome affects around 60 percent of all U.S. homes or buildings. Luckily, moisture in your crawl space is not a difficult problem to fix if you hire experienced professionals. You never know, the problem might not be your crawl space anyway. Call us for a free initial consultation today to find out.
Moisture, mold, and pests
Crawl spaces do not have the same ventilation and air circulation that the rest of your home has. The hot, stuffy air has nowhere to go, which means that the combination of hot air in the space and cold air from the rest of your home creates a hub for humidity. Humidity leads to moisture, and moisture leads to mold.
Moisture also leads to insects and pests. Moisture attracts pests such as spiders, mice, rats, snakes, and termites. Crawl spaces are also an ideal environment for nasty pests because the area is typically left undisturbed. Not only do insects remain in your crawl space, but their droppings do too, which can cause serious issues for the air quality of your home and your health.
Air quality and your health
Crawl spaces are a major air quality issue. 50 percent of the air in your home may be coming from your crawl space, due to a phenomenon called the “stack effect.” As hot air rises in your home, it creates a pulling effect that will cause the air from your crawl space to come down into the air that you breathe. This can happen between 8 to 15 times a day. What does this air bring? Usually nothing good. The air that comes down from the crawl space usually brings mold spores and pathogens from the rodent and insect droppings. If you are smelling a musty odor in the air, it most likely means that your air is contaminated.
Such pathogens and mold can have damaging effects on your health. Such health issues include symptoms such as headaches, sneezing, a stuffy nose, red eyes, and skin rashes. Some studies have even shown a correlation between mold in the air and asthma in children.
If you or your family members are having allergy-like symptoms or headaches that are not getting better, it is very likely that your air quality is not at the standard that it should be. The health risks of mold spores in the air should be taken seriously, yet can be easily taken care of with the right professionals.
Energy Bills
If your crawl space is letting moisture and low-quality air into your home, your furnace and air conditioning will have to work harder. Not only will this wear down the units, but it will also rack up your energy bills. High energy bills, however, are a tell-tale sign that something is off in your home and with the air quality. Instead of letting the energy bill increases slowly catch up to you, invest in a crawl space inspection and air quality treatment. Investing that small amount today will save you lots down the road. Once you get the problem solved as soon as possible, then you will not have to worry about it anymore or continue paying those unusually high energy bills.
Structural damage
An additional reason to invest in a crawl space inspection now, is to prevent home damage costs in the future. Moisture in your home is capable of causing the wood to rot. Not only can this significantly deplete the structural integrity of your home, but it can also cause the possibility of collapse. Save yourself the hassle now and keep your family safe by inspecting your crawl space early. Similar to the energy bills, fixing the problem now will save you lots of money down the road. Not only will wood rot depreciate the value of your home later on, but fixing any structural damage could come at a tremendous cost. Save the time, money, and energy down the road and get a crawl space inspection today. Your future self will thank you for it.
The solution
Finding the root cause of the moisture, mold, and damp smell in your home is essential for the health and well-being of your household. If your crawl space has not already been closed, conditioned, or encapsulated, then it needs to be. Closing, conditioning, and encapsulating a crawl space involves installing a high-quality protective vapor barrier on the floors and walls inside of the crawl space. This protective vapor barrier will keep any moisture out. Once you have the encapsulation installed, you can rest assured that your crawl space will be dry and clean, which means that mold will not be able to grow. A dry space also removes the potential for wood rot and insect infestations.
A ventilation system is also a great addition to ensure that the air that you are breathing is clean and safe. Our smart ventilation system uses dew point readings to circulate fresh air from the outside into your home and bad air out of your home. A dehumidification system may also be necessary for some homes, especially during heat spells, to keep moisture at bay.
Solving the issue with Termiguard and Fenwick
The first step we take in encapsulating your crawl space is cleaning it. This entails removing debris, damaged insulation, dust, and mold in addition to applying a clear protective coating to surfaces. Having a clean base for encapsulation is essential. After cleaning, we seal the space, add foam and insulation to the walls, and then add a vapor barrier.
When encapsulating your crawl space with Termiguard and Fenwick, our 5-step process enables us to guarantee that the problem will be solved at the source. Our 5-step process consists of the initial consultation, site visit, plan creation, execution, and follow-up. The initial consultation allows us to understand what the problem is and our site visit enables us to evaluate your crawl space and the extent of the issue. When we create the plan, you will work closely with our professionals to come up with a solution unique for your property, while the execution and follow-up ensure that your problem is fixed for years to come. Additionally, our 10-year warranty and annual service maintenance inspections mean that you will not have to stress about your crawl space again. Call us for a free consultation today.
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