Crawl Spaces And Health
When it comes to areas of your home that affect the health of you and your family, none is more impactful than your crawl space.
The information on this page outlines various ways that the crawl space impacts health, and how we can help mitigate problems under your home.
The Central Command Post
The crawl space can be thought of as the central command post for your home. Your plumbing, duct-work, foundation, and electrical services all run through your crawl space.
This means the air you breathe, water you drink and bathe in, and the foundation support of your largest investment, run directly through your crawl space.
Moisture Invades The Crawl Space
The crawl space is also where water and moisture attempt to enter your home. Condensation occurs in the crawl space due to hot humid air; groundwater enters after heavy rains and stagnates in your crawl space, and plumbing leaks can spring up that go unchecked, causing major problems.
Mold & Fungus Enter Through The Crawl Space
Due to the various moisture issues that originate in the crawl space, it is a breeding ground for mold and fungus. Mold and fungus can damage the wood foundation, infiltrate your ducting system, and enter your home through your walls and floors.
Rodents And Pests Enter Trough The Crawl Space
The thing about the crawl space is that it is mostly "out of sight, out of mind". Most homeowners don't think about it or check it regularly.
It is also at ground level, and a great place for rodents, cats, and insects to seek shelter, breed, nest, and provides access to water and food for various creatures.
The Air Your Breathe Travels Through Your Crawl Space
In a damp and dirty crawl space, the HVAC duct-work condensates, the duct insulation becomes wet, and mold forms. Most HVAC companies hate repairing or replacing duct-work, so they ignore it, only aiming to sell mechanical systems.
In addition, tears and leaks in the duct-work bring crawl space air into your duct system, which may include mold and animal excrement. Air from the crawl space also rises into the home via the "stack effect". To be frank, you would be disgusted if you knew what is under most homes.
Poor indoor air quality can lead to family illness
Contaminants from your crawl space can lead to headaches, respiratory irritation, auto immune disorders, and even chronic disease.
Keeping your crawl space clean and dry is the first step to halting this threat to your home. It sounds alarming, but it's 100% true, and arguably the most ignored health hazard in our society.
The First Step Is A Full Inspection
We can perform a comprehensive inspection of your crawl space and related systems.
When we inspect your crawl space, we also examine your HVAC duct-work and coils, your plumbing, foundation structure, exterior drainage, and animal access points around your home.
We Can Provide Corrective Solutions
Whether you have moisture, rodents, mold, damaged duct-work, old contaminated water pipes, or a combination of these problems, we can provide recommendations and a quote for corrective solutions.
From mold cleaning, to duct replacement, dehumidification, and crawl space encapsulation, we have solutions to get your home health back on track, and keep your crawl space clean moving forward.