How to keep your crawlspace dry Was your home in Chattanooga, TN flooded recenty? Or perhaps there is a leaking pipe water in your crawlspace. There are many situations that can cause your crawlspace become wet and humid, and you may not even know what the source of this water is. But whatever the cause, you want to get your crawlspace dry and kept dry so you can keep the mold, insects and allergens.
So first of all, if you do not know where the moisture is coming, you will need to identify the source of water. In most cases, will crawl into the water that came from outside the house. For example, the gutters may be actually flowing into the crawl space. So check where runoff from your roof is in progress, because this problem is usually easy to fix, you simply redirect the flow of water elsewhere, as an escape from the street.
If this is not the source of water, then check for leaks in pipes in the crawl space. The location of water pooling can usually give you an idea of where it originated. Water is perhaps condensation pipes. If this is the case, then you should insulate the pipes.
Finally, your house has recently been flooded or if the house is located near a natural spring, you'll need to take more drastic measures to get rid of water.
The water in the crawlspace can also be caused by rain or even just water if your soil naturally crawlspace is located below the water table. To dry the crawl space, in these cases, you'll need to install a drainage system and sump pump in the crawl space. A sump pump drains water just where you do not want it in a place where it will not cause a problem, as a dry wells or storm drain.
If your house was recently flooded, then the sump pump can dry out the crawl space. Once the crawl space has been emptied, you will not need the sump pump more. But if the water is a persistent problem due to a natural source or in a body of water, you will see that the sump pump will be used on a regular basis to keep the crawlspace dry.
Posted on March 14, 2010.
