Reasons to Waterproof Your Crawl Space

How much thought do you give to your crawl space? If you’re like most homeowners, you probably don’t think about it very much. Waterproofing your crawl space, however, is something that warrants your attention. When your crawl space is unsealed, it can become damp and musty, a haven for mold and pests. By being proactive about waterproofing your crawl space, you’ll save yourself from headaches down the road. In fact, there are several reasons crawl space waterproofing is a good idea.

• A dry crawl space means better air quality inside your home. When your crawl space is open to the elements, contaminants from that unsealed space will make their way into the interior of your home. To clarify, forty to sixty percent of the air inside your home comes from your crawl space. If that air is damp or moldy, it can aggravate allergies, asthma, and other respiratory issues. If it lets toxic gases like radon into your home, you’ll have even larger health problems. To keep your family healthy and your air clean, encapsulate your crawl space.
• An unsealed crawl space is vulnerable to moisture. Particularly during the rainy season or the spring thaw, water can seep through the walls and floors of your crawl space. So why should a little water in the crawl space concern you? There are actually a few reasons. First, as mentioned, you don’t want damp, musty air circulating through your home. What’s more, moisture in your crawl space can damage air ducts and water pipes that pass through that area. They can become susceptible to ruse and corrosion, meaning big repair bills and plumbing issues. A wet crawl space is also an electrical safety hazard, because it exposes your electrical wiring to water. This can lead to electrocution or a house fire.
• Water in the crawl space can lead to water in your home. When there are pools of water in the crawl space under your house, the humidity level in your home is likely to rise. That water can also make its way into your home through leaks or flooding, damaging carpets, furniture, and other belongings. Water that seeps into the building materials from which your home is constructed can even threaten its structural integrity.
• To keep your home free from mold and pests, waterproof your crawl space. An unsealed crawl space is a dark, damp place, perfect for mold growth. Left to its own devices, mold can grow, thrive, and essentially take over your home. This can cause health issues and it can also do serious damage to the wooden structures that support your house. However, you should consider this: mold is not the only invasive organism that loves a damp crawl space. An unsealed crawl space provides a water source and comfortable home for cockroaches, termites, mice, and rats. Once these insects and pests move in, they can contaminate your food and water, ruin your furniture, and, in the case of termites, even destroy the house itself.
• When your crawl space is sealed, it protects your foundation. High humidity levels result in moisture becoming trapped in your walls. Then the water in your walls expands and contracts based on the temperature, leading to cracks in the foundation walls and floors. When this moisture leaches into wooden joists and beams, it can weaken your home’s structure and make your foundation ineffective. Repairing this kind of structural damage is extremely expensive, but this expense can be circumvented by waterproofing your crawl space before there’s a problem.
• Waterproofing your crawl space boosts your home’s energy efficiency. If your crawl space is unprotected, it lets your air-conditioned air out and allows the air from outside to come inside. As you’d imagine, this means your heater has to work harder in the winter, and your air conditioner has to work harder in the summer, resulting in higher energy bills. Encapsulating your crawl space means less energy waste and lower utility bills.
• A crawl space that’s protected offers you the option of storage space. When you waterproof your crawl space, you gain a clean, dry area where you can safely store your belongings. You can be confident that whatever you store in an encapsulated crawl space will be safe from moisture, mold, and pests.
• Your home value is increased when your crawl space is waterproofed. Your home will undergo an inspection when it’s time to sell, and moisture or mold will be a negative mark on that inspector’s list. Additionally, when buyers know that a home’s crawl space is sealed, they can be confident that they’ll be protected from moisture issues if they buy the house. This makes your house much more appealing.

What are some steps you can take to keep water out of your crawl space? Installing a sump pump is a great place to start. Sump pumps can pull water from basements and crawl space, depositing it far from the home’s foundation. The best option for crawl space waterproofing, though, is a basement waterproofing company. When you hire professionals to waterproof your crawl space, they can discuss with you the indoor and outdoor options, helping you to determine which type of crawl space waterproofing is the right fit for your home. If you’ve noticed a musty odor in your crawl space, streaks on the crawl space walls, or, worse, standing water, it’s time to call in the professionals to waterproof your crawl space.

When you’re ready to waterproof your crawl space, Budget Waterproofing provides waterproofing, mold remediation, mold cleaning, and crawl space encapsulation. In addition to standard crawl space encapsulation, we offer crawl space vapor barrier installations. At Budget Waterproofing, we’ve got more than 55 years of experience servicing both commercial and residential customers throughout Maryland. We’re proud of our craftsmanship and confident in our skills, and all of our technicians are fully licensed and insured. Whether you need basement waterproofing, a drainage system, crawl space waterproofing, or egress window installation, we’ve got you covered, with the experience and skills necessary to improve your basement and protect your family. For more information, contact us today.