Your crawl space is most likely not an area you visit often, but maybe it should be. Homeowners in North Carolina are no stranger to the warm, humid summers and the heavy spring rains—it’s these conditions that can cause problems in your crawl space. Mold, mildew, and musty odors are all a result of moisture problems. Learn more about what’s causing your crawl space issues below.
Explore Crawl Space Causes
Common Crawl Space Causes
From the frequent rainfalls in Raleigh to the humid, warm summers in Northern North Carolina, the climate plays a significant role in the condition of your crawl space. The soil in the region is another big factor. Although soil types range from the well-drained Cecil soil in Northern North Carolina to the clay sand mixed soil near Raleigh and sandy loam soil near Wilmington– each presents a unique condition for crawl space. Continue reading to learn more about the top crawl space problem causes.
Stack Effect
One of the main concerns of crawl space problems is that they do not stay in the crawl space. Thanks to the stack effect, air from the crawl space is pulled up through the entire house before escaping through the roof. Even the most insulated roof has about a 50 percent air escape. Meaning 50 percent of the air your breath is coming from the crawl space. Musty odors, mold spores, and pest droppings are circulated throughout your home and can lead to increased allergies and respiratory problems, especially for the elderly and young children.
Open Doors & Vents
At one time, not all that long ago, it was considered good building practice to add crawl space vents into all homes. The idea was that vents would allow air to circulate through the crawl space and allow fresh air to replace the stale, humid air trapped. We now know these vents do more harm than good. From high humidity to mold and wood rot, your open vents are to be blamed for a lot of the crawl space moisture damage you are experiencing. But what do you do if you have a home with existing vents? Tar Heel has the solution with air-tight vent covers.
Humidity
It might sound harmless, but humidity in your crawl space is arguably the second biggest cause of moisture problems at your North Carolina home. While there are several areas humidity can enter, through evaporated pooling water, open vents, or through the unfinished dirt floor, humidity not only makes a space uncomfortable but leads to condensation and mold, mildew, and musty odors.
Crawl Space Encapsulation from Tar Heel Basement Systems
If you have groundwater entering your crawl space, puddles, or a wet crawl space causing mildew and musty odors—Tar Heel Basement Systems is the crawl space repair company to call. Our custom crawl space encapsulation system has solved thousands of homeowners’ problems in the Northern North Carolina, Durham, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem areas.
Our team of local inspectors will walk you through the encapsulation process and discuss your waterproofing needs. This may include a vapor barrier, sump pump, or an energy-efficient dehumidifier. We offer a free crawl space inspection to put eyes on the problem and suggest the right solution to keep your home dry and improve your overall air quality.
Contact us to set up your free crawl space inspection.
