How Water and Moisture Enter your Crawl Space

How Does Moisture get into the Crawl Space?

Having a vapor or moisture barrier in the crawl space is essential to maintain a healthy crawl space. Rising moisture and vapor from the ground is a naturally occurring event that can cause adverse effects to the structure and health of the home. When water vapors rise out of the ground, the wood floor system absorbs them like a sponge and continues to hold the moisture until the vapors stop rising. Lack of proper installation of a vapor barrier or no vapor barrier at all can cause fungal growth, wood rot and other structural issues to the home.

How to Prevent Rising Moisture in the Crawl Space

Our moisture barriers are installed with overlapping, taped seams and spiked to the ground. This assures that rising moisture is trapped underneath a continuous barrier while securing it to the ground for long term durability. Barriers are installed on the dirt soil in the crawl space along with wall to wall coverage for maximum protection against rising moisture. Our vapor barriers are installed with a 10 mil, white vapor barrier and vapor seam tape, for a tougher, stronger, and more durable application in the crawl space.

A river of water formed in a crawl space.

How Does Water get into the Crawl Space?

Water is commonly found in the crawl space as a direct result of over-saturated ground, either next to the foundation walls of a home or below the surface from ground water swelling. Intrusion occurs at or along the foundation walls of the home and up through the foundation footer. If water has nowhere to drain to, then standing water will occur, causing moisture to rise and be embedded into the floor structure of the home.

How to Remove Water from the Crawl Space

Removing the water is crucially important to prevent the long term effects of standing water in the crawl space. The Crawlspace Medic® Drain System is installed near the foundation footer of the home to help collect water, which falls into the drain and is carried to a sump pump pit. With proper pitch and depth, the trench will carry the water to the lowest point of the home, terminating into a sump pump pit, with a sump pump installed to discharge the water out of the crawl space.

In Need of Crawl Space Drainage?

Do you have moisture or water issues in your crawl space? We provide vapor barriers and french drains with sump pumps to keep your home clear of the issues that arise from crawl space water damage. Call us at (866) 882-7295 or schedule your free inspection today.