The crawlspace is the gap between your home’s floor and the ground. Although many people take that part of their property for granted, it could affect their home’s indoor air quality fast. If this becomes a serious problem, allergies, mold and bad smells will be a common issue in your home.
Overall, the problem with the crawlspace is that, since not many people understand how dangerous it is to ignore, they don’t take any measures to avoid air pollution. You can’t protect your family from something you don’t know is a threat.
Paul’s Basement Waterproofing are experts at crawlspace encapsulation, which solves all these issues. But in this blog, we wanted to inform our potential customers, of the 10 different ways in which the crawlspace affects air quality in your home. This post can help you stay safe from potential hazards that could affect your family.
How Does a Crawl Space Affect My Home’s Air Quality?
Air from the crawl space can compromise your house’s safety in many ways. Even if you only have one of the problems listed below, they could cause other structural repair issues to develop later on.
When you don’t maintain good air quality, you open the door to plenty of harmful agents (pathogens like mold, bacteria, and viruses can exist in crawl spaces). In other words, even a small problem can trigger a series of chain reactions that could endanger you and your family’s health.
Here is a list of 10 ways in which air coming from the crawl space can affect your house indoors:
1. Increased Humidity
When your crawlspace is damp, it increases the humidity levels in your house. You will not notice during the first days, but the air will feel clammy and uncomfortable after a few weeks.
Humidity is a challenge in Windsor, especially during the summer months. If you don’t want that problem to get out of control, it’s crucial to maintain proper crawlspace ventilation.
2. Pest Infestation
No one wants to deal with begs or pests in their home. Unfortunately, crawl spaces are ideal entry points for pests, such as termites, insects, and rodents. They endanger the structural integrity of the property and bring in even more bacteria and allergens.
Rodents often nest in insulation and other materials beneath your home. This can directly affect both the air quality and in some cases the foundation of your house.
3. Poor Insulation
Although not many people know it, your crawl space needs insulation. Without it, you will experience temperature fluctuations and higher moisture levels.
In winter, the cold air will go through your crawlspace and make your heating system or furnace work that much harder. On the other hand, in the summer you can overwhelm your A/C unit.
Even if you insulate other areas of your home, the crawl space will still be contributing to the energy loss, and higher energy bills for your property.
4. Energy Inefficiency
Apart from letting pollutant agents into your home, unattended crawl spaces will ruin its energy efficiency. Heating systems will have to work harder in winter, and cooling devices will do the same in summer.
Many people are surprised when they see their energy bills skyrocket. They usually think that maybe their HVAC devices are malfunctioning. At the end of the day, the problem may be that their crawl space is making them overwork.
When your HVAC systems are overstressed, they will work harder than usual during the day. That could affect indoor air quality.
5. Unpleasant Smells
If your crawlspace is wet or poorly ventilated, it will develop unpleasant odors in the future. That happens due to trapped moisture and mildew. The smell will likely get into other areas of your home.
Persistent odors will make the air in your house feel musty and stale. Get help as soon as you notice this, as it can be a sign of more serious moisture problems (or mold growth).
6. Debris and Dust
Ignoring your crawlspace can lead to a very common problem, which is the accumulation of debris, dirt, and dust. These particles will get into your living space when they become airborne, which will reduce air quality.
Dust is one of the most common allergens. Extended exposure to it will lead to several respiratory issues. Someone already suffering from asthma or severe allergies could face serious health problems.
You won’t notice the crawlspace letting the spores into the air until it’s too late. That’s why it’s essential to hire someone to run an inspection in your house before there’s an actual problem.
7. Soil Contamination
Older homes often lack a proper vapor barrier in their crawl space. This is a huge problem because that protective measure is meant to keep the moisture from the soil below from rising. If that happens, the humidity levels in your property will increase a lot.
Also, the soil could already be contaminated with hazardous chemicals. Being exposed to them can cause respiratory issues.
It’s also possible to deal with radon gas infiltration. This radioactive agent comes from the natural decay of uranium in soil. Exposure to high radon levels is a common cause of lung cancer. Radon is a colorless and odorless gas, which means you won’t notice it until it’s too late.
8. Air Exchange Between Crawlspace and Living Areas
The lack of functional barriers or insulation will let air from your crawl space get into the other areas of your house. This can happen through gaps, such as the ones in floorboards and vents.
Poor indoor air quality brings dust, pollutants, and allergens. That is usually followed by higher humidity levels.
After some time, the air from your crawl space will have taken over the place. You should address the problem before that happens.
9. Moisture and Mildew Growth
Due to how humid the Windsor climate can be, moisture can accumulate in the warmer months. If you didn’t invest in crawl space ventilation, prepare to face a mold and mildew problem.
Mold spores will leak through your crawl space and contaminate your home’s air. Depending on how vulnerable you are to these agents, they could trigger health problems, such as asthma, allergies, and even lung cancer.
10. Cross-contamination of HVAC Filters
One of the ways the crawl space impacts your home environment is by allowing cross-contamination of HVAC filters. When you don’t seal them correctly, dust, mold, and pests will enter the heating and cooling system.
Keep in mind that these filters are in charge of the air circulating inside your house. If they are contaminated, not only will they have a lower efficiency rate, but they will also push contaminants through the system to your living areas.
How to Address Crawlspace Issues Correctly
Whether it’s to avoid radioactive gas or mold formation in the air ducts, you need to address crawlspace issues as soon as possible. Paul’s Basement Waterproofing can help with that.
Our main goal is to keep your house safe, and our services include making your crawl spaces stay in good shape.
We offer crawl space encapsulations and repairs. The first consists of sealing that area of your house with a vapor barrier and a protective membrane often made of sheets of polyethylene plastic.
On the other hand, the repair services we offer are meant to clean up the crawl space, insulate it, and replace rotten subfloors, beams, and piers. This will reduce excess moisture and pollutants in your home, as well as improve the airflow.
Get into Contact with the Crawlspace Experts:
Don’t wait for the musty smell in the air to tell you when to take care of your crawl space. This is a problem that will trigger other issues, such as mold and mildew growth, pest infestations, and poor respiratory conditions.
High humidity is the ideal environment for mold growth. Once you let these issues progress, they become harder and more expensive to address.
If you’re looking for a professional to check your crawlspace, consider the team at Paul’s Basement Waterproofing. Whether it’s crawl space encapsulation or repair, we’ll do what’s necessary to ensure the air in your home stays healthy. Call us today to schedule a house inspection, and let us guide you to a fresher home environment.
