You likely don’t make a point of visiting your crawl space that often. Even if the space houses some of your utilities, crawl spaces aren’t made for entertaining. Why would you head down into that darker space if you have other, more comfortable parts of your home to spend your time in?
While your crawl space may not be a comfortable part of your home to visit, you’ll want to check in on it now and again, especially if you’ve noticed some additional dampness in your home. High levels of humidity in your crawl space, after all, can often make their way up through the rest of your home. If you don’t make a point of dealing with that humidity, you may find yourself dealing with more than an uncomfortable living space. The longer you let the humidity rise in your crawl space, the more likely it is that you’ll have to deal with structural damage.
The Dangers of High Humidity
High levels of humidity in your home are more than just uncomfortable. If your crawl space is taking on humidity, then the supports, utilities, and other belongings you have in that space may be in danger. Moisture tends to get absorbed into any and all porous materials it comes into contact with. That means that materials from fabric to concrete can start to show signs of wear and tear if exposed to high levels of humidity for too long.
Some of the most common types of damage to see in a crawl space suffering from high humidity include:
- Mold and wood rot
- Infestations
- Damaged crawl space supports
- Sticking doors and windows
- Bowing walls
- Sagging floors
- Leaking concrete
- A sinking foundation or slab
Sources of Unwanted Humidity
You can always trace unwanted humidity in your home back to one source: moisture. How that moisture makes its way into your home, however, is often a matter of debate. There are a few different ways moisture can get into your home without leaving behind puddles, after all. These include but are not limited to:
Hydrostatic Pressure
Hydrostatic pressure is a force that gathers outside of your home as moisture stagnates in the area. This moisture does not have to get inside of your home to work against its structural integrity. Instead, it can change both the temperature and size of the molecules making up your concrete and structural supports just by coming into contact with them. The more hydrostatic pressure your home endures, the more likely it is that moisture will make its way into your home, either due to the oversaturation of your housing materials or due to cracks formed under stress.
Leaking Pipes
If you don’t make a point of caring for the pipes inside of your home, you may start to endure minuscule leaks. As your pipes leak water into the air, the humidity in your crawl space can grow. Similarly, your home may start to experience hydrostatic pressure from the inside, leading to the same kinds of damage that might allow rainwater or groundwater into your crawl space.
Lowering the Humidity in Your Crawl Space
Lowering the humidity in your crawl space isn’t impossible. The ways you can go about doing so will vary based on the state of your crawl space and the amount of time that you allowed the humidity in question to fester. Some of the most common repair solutions include:
- Encapsulation with a vapor barrier
- Dehumidification
- Waterproof insulation
- Waterproofing with interior drains and a sump pump
It may also benefit you to invest in crack or leak repairs before installing any waterproofing measures in your crawl space. The sooner you can repair the damage that water’s done to your crawl space, the sooner you can focus on any other repairs or installations that your home may benefit from.
Connect With a Crawl Space Expert in Your Area
If you’ve noticed your hygrometer or humidistat starting to tick upward but there isn’t any standing water in your home, it’s time to act. The professionals in Fargo, ND, will tell you that you don’t need to see standing water inside of your crawl space to find yourself dealing with structural damage. Crawl space damage can take on a myriad of forms.
To determine why it is that your home’s growing more humid, schedule a crawl space inspection. A professional from Innovative Basement Authority can come out to your home and help you find any leaks, cracks, or other forms of damage that may have appeared in your crawl space. If you want to schedule a consultation, reach out today to schedule a free inspection and repair quote.
