Wet Crawl Space Blues – On the House
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Wet Crawl Space Blues

By on March 5, 2014
what to do with a wet crawl space

Question

What do I do about moisture in my crawl space and the white water stains on the foundation walls?

Ev

Answer

If there is puddling, pump the water out or dig a drainage trench that will transport the water to your homes’ exterior. Then, make sure that water doesn’t get back under there via gutterless roof drippings, over irrigation or dirt that is incorrectly sloped toward the house when in fact it should be sloped away for best drainage away from the foundation. If any or all of these conditions exist and are subsequently corrected your crawl space should dry out quickly. If everything possible has been done and dampness in your crawlspace continues you may have water traveling into your crawl space from below the surface – say from an adjacent hillside or neighboring property. A soils engineer can determine what steps to take (such as a French Drain), once given a chance to properly investigate soils conditions in your area. If only a small amount of dampness exists in your crawlspace, then it would be wise to place a layer of heavy plastic sheeting over the dirt. This will prevent moisture from damaging wood framing members in the crawl space. The white marks on the foundation won’t cause any problems and may be left untreated.

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