Moving into a new home is an exciting experience; however, ensuring your new crawl space is in good order is a critical first step for homeowners. In many homes, there are no proper water management tools in place to keep this area dry. Due to this, your crawl space will be under a constant threat of moisture, pests, and outside elements. Many homeowners don’t notice until it’s too late.
Here, we will discuss some easy steps to create a worry-free crawl space to keep your new home protected from moisture.
1. Sealing Vents and OpeningsÂ
For decades, vented crawl spaces were considered standard practice and widely adopted, but now research shows that these openings are more harmful than useful to homes. Vents allow outside air, pests, and water into your crawl spaces, which can create unhealthy conditions for your home and family. If you want to keep pests, moisture, and external threats out of your home, seal your crawl space vents and crawl space doors. You should also look out for any cracks or openings in the walls. If the openings are left unchecked, gaps and cracks will continue to spread and potentially harm your house.Â
2. Installing Drainage and a Sump Pump
Low-lying areas of your home, like crawl spaces, are more likely to experience flooding issues at some point. Consider that if standing water gets below your home, then your entire crawl space will become damp and musty. Rainstorms and leaky water pipes are the most common reasons that lead to flooding in crawl spaces. You can effectively deal with crawl space flooding through an interior drainage system. These drains collect leaking water and put it into the sump pump system. The sump pumps that are installed at the lowest point of the crawl space will eject water before it causes major problems.
3. Encapsulating the Crawl Space
Full crawl space encapsulation is another best proactive approach to maintain the crawl spaces in your home. Crawl space encapsulation creates an airtight seal around your crawl space with a durable vapor barrier. You can lock out the moisture from the outside and water from the soil if you consider the full crawl space encapsulation. A whole encapsulation averts problems like wood rot and mold growth, and makes it more difficult for pests to get in. Moreover, the plastic barrier also acts as an insulator that will keep your home cool in the summer and warm in winter.Â
4. Getting a DehumidifierÂ
Without a dehumidifier, your crawl space waterproofing efforts would not be worth it. Warm, wet air in the crawl space will creep upwards and create an unpleasant environment in your home. However, with the help of a dehumidifier, you can create a dry space and remove moisture from the air. In addition to this, some dehumidifier models can also regulate air quality. These models have features that can eliminate airborne particles like dust and mold spores to create a healthier environment. Ultimately, during hot and humid summer months, you can enjoy cool, dry indoor air.