Best ways to dry out a water damaged crawl space

A crawl space is like that cupboard where you save your tax information. There is important stuff in there, however, you never take a look inside. Further, as you're so rarely in your crawl space, a problem inside can cause significant damage to essential components of your home before you discover that anything isn't right.

Crawl space water damage is common, so you should test it out every couple of months, and act quickly if you discover something is amiss. What do you need to be searching for, and how can you deal with crawl space water damage if you find it? Let's clarify.

If you open up your crawl space and find standing water, your first thought will likely be to wonder where it came out. It is even more puzzling if you find the signs of water damage on the doorway leading to the crawl space, but do not find anything indoors. What is going on? To know, you have to be aware of the probable resources of crawl space water damage.

1. Surplus Humidity

Some homes, especially older homes with broken window seals, have humidity problems. The crawl space may exasperate this issue, particularly if it is unsealed, or simply dirt on the floor. If so water will evaporate from the ground and into the crawl space. This can lead to a variety of difficulties, from mold growth to poor air quality in your house, to water damage. You may find the whole crawl area coated in a thin sheen of water. Likely, that water is always there, always doing damage to your home.

2. Leaky or Broken Pipes

If you walk in the crawl space and find a puddle of water, chances are you have a leaking or burst pipe. Various kinds of water may be leaking , such as fresh water on it's way up into the tap, or utilized water on its way down from the bathroom. The smell should indicate sewer water. A musty smell, like clothes left in the drier, is likely from clean water that has just been sitting in the crawl space for a while.

3. Roof Leak

It's fairly unlikely that a problem all the way on your roof might make it's way down to the crawl space at the bottom of the house before you notice it. However, some houses have crawl spaces directly connected to the roof. If that's the circumstance, you may discover that the ceiling and walls in your crawl space (or only the wooden joists which compose the ceiling) have water damage.

Or, if a leak has been redirected within the attic to the inside of a wall, then it can then pour down into the crawl space. You may hear the sound of moving water if this has occurred and you will also see signs of water damage.

Sadly, this is likely to be a fairly serious issue. You are going to need to call a professional roofer to find where the leak is and get up it, before addressing crawl space water damage.

How to Best Dry Out a Crawl Space

You took a peek in your crawl space and discovered it bloated or way too humid. How do you remove that water and dry out a flooded crawl space? You may call our team of professional house restoration experts to repair the matter. Maybe this is the wisest course of action, as a wet base, damaged drywall, or sewage leaks can cause serious damage to your home. They might also create health hazards including mold, if they are not dealt with properly in the first 24-48 hours.

But there are things you can do yourself to dry things out and prevent further crawl space water damage until the professionals arrive. The only exception is if you've got a sewage pipe leak. Water from this type of leak is dangerous, particularly if it comes in contact with your skin. Further, whatever you use to attempt and absorb the water will need to be lost. It is important to await your plumber to handle a sewage leak.

Otherwise, if you've got an inch or more of flooding water on your hands, then it is ideal to get a wet vacuum or pump to start eliminating what water you possibly can. Don't dispose of the water back to a tub or sink unless you're convinced a leak isn't the problem. If it's, the water may wind up back into the crawl space.

If you have just puddles, then you can use your least favorite towels to soak up water. They may want to be boiled or otherwise sanitized afterwards. Wear gloves when you do, since you don't know how long the water may have been sitting on your crawl space and breeding bacteria.

To take out the moisture from the atmosphere, you can run your house's dehumidifier in the crawl space--when it matches in. If humidity is an on-going problem in your crawl space and not only the end result of a temporary flood, you might save yourself some future headaches by installing a dedicated crawl space dehumidifier.

Contact the professionals at Restoration Brothers Orlando if you need Alafaya water damage repair or call us 24/7 at 407-906-0038.