We’ve all seen moldy food in our kitchen at some point or another. Our first instinct is to throw it away quickly. Unfortunately, mold that grows in your crawl space can’t be disposed of so easily, and it might even go undetected until it spreads into your home. Our team at Basement Authority of West Virginia has dealt with thousands of crawl spaces facing a mold problem. We have the tools and experience to keep your home protected!
Conditions That Lead to Crawl Space Mold
Mold needs two things to survive –decaying organic matter and humidity. Crawl spaces often have both, made of wooden supports and exposed to humidity outside. Here’s more about what causes mold growth below your home.
Leaking Pipes
Crawl spaces usually contain plumbing lines that are vital to the proper functioning of your home. Every once in a while, these pipes can spring a leak. When this happens, a lot of water enters your crawl space. As it collects on the ground and eventually evaporates, it causes humidity levels to rise in your crawl space. Moreover, the leaking water can cause wooden beams to break down –providing a food source for mold. These elements create the perfect breeding ground for mold to spread and overtake parts of your crawl space. Make sure to contact a plumber when a leak arises and take the next steps to protect your crawl space from moisture.
Open Crawl Space Vents
Since humidity is one of the key components mold and mildew need to survive, open crawl space vents are no friend to your crawl space. Building contractors previously believed building crawl spaces with open vents would allow humidity to escape from the crawl space. However, these open vents actually cause the complete opposite to happen, as the outdoor environment influences the conditions in your crawl space. A cold and dry day is going to make your crawl space very cold and dry. Humid summer days will cause humidity to rise below your home. You can see how this might increase the chances of mold growth in your crawl space during the summer months.
Bad Vapor Barrier
Vapor barriers are designed to keep moisture out of your crawl space. Some homeowners opt to install store-bought vapor barriers on their own. Unfortunately, this process rarely works as intended. Vapor barriers require precise measurements, skill, and proper tools to completely protect your crawl space. Even the slightest misstep can allow moisture to penetrate the vapor barrier. Over time, this can actually cause the vapor barrier to become damaged. This becomes a waste of time and money, and you’re still left with a crawl space susceptible to excess moisture and inevitable mold growth.
FAQs
Yes. Mold can cause many problems for human beings including aggravated allergies, respiratory issues, and in the worst-case scenarios, death. Removing mold and remediating moisture in your crawl space is always worth it for this reason. You can keep your family safer with a protected crawl space and save expenses since you’ll be avoiding medical bills. If you suspect mold is in your crawl space, don’t try to handle it on your own, as this can also cause health problems if mishandled. Contact a mold expert to remove the mold, and then contact a foundation and crawl space specialist to keep your crawl space dry in the future.
Mold can easily spread into your home from your crawl space. Mold releases thousands of spores, and these can be transported into your home due to the stack effect. This is the process by which warm air travels up through your home from the lowest levels to the highest levels. Since mold needs a warm, humid crawl space to grow, the warm air eventually travels up through the floor and carries mold spores with it. You and your loved ones will eventually be breathing mold spores without even realizing it. Plus, mold growth may pop up in other areas of your home, causing further issues and expenses.
Mold needs two things to grow: high humidity and decaying organic material. In order to thrive, mold needs an environment with a moisture content between 55%-60%. Organic materials are present all throughout our homes, including the wood used to build your crawl space. When these structures become exposed to high amounts of moisture, they start to decay and provide mold a space to grow. Waterproofing and encapsulating your crawl space is essential if you want to avoid a mold infestation.
Explore Solutions
Mold may seem scary, but it’s easy for Basement Authority of West Virginia to prevent mold from growing in your crawl space. We use vapor barriers, sump pumps, and crawl space vent covers to prevent moisture from entering your crawl space. Additionally, we make use of dehumidifiers and crawl space drains to keep the crawl space continuously dry. These solutions can work simultaneously to make it difficult for mold to grow ever again in your crawl space.
Basement Authority of West Virginia
Vapor Barrier
Vapor barriers do exactly what their name suggests, they keep water vapor out of your crawl space. Without these important tools, your entire home is put at risk.
Basement Authority of West Virginia
Crawl Space Encapsulation
Good defense is the best offense when it comes to avoiding crawl space problems, and encapsulation provides the best protection against moisture in your crawl space.
Contact Basement Authority of West Virginia for a Free Inspection!
Without proper crawl space protection, you and your loved ones are at risk for mold growth and the various problems associated with it. However, you can trust that Basement Authority of West Virginia has the solutions and expertise needed to stop mold in its tracks. We’ve dealt with mold problems for thousands of residents in Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Wheeling, and nearby, and we’re ready to provide you with the same dependable service. Contact us today to learn more about our crawl space services and to schedule a free inspection with one of our specialists!
