The cause of structural problems in your home could be as a result of damp or wet crawl spaces. Damp or wet crawl spaces can also cause serious health problems due to growth of mold. Hence, hiring the services of a professional repair contractor for your home crawl space waterproofing work remain important.
There are some factors that are to be considered and some things to be done in terms of repairing a crawl space. But it is rather unfortunate that a lot of people ignore these vital factors and eventually end up committing mistakes in the repair of their crawl spaces. Some of the most common crawl space waterproofing errors are as follows:
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Using Fiberglass for insulation
Fiberglass is usually used for the purpose of insulating a home. However, it shouldn’t for any reason be used for insulation in crawl spaces. The reason is that, fiberglass is just like a sponge, and would be absorbing water and moisture in the crawl spaces. With time, mildew and mold will start using it as their breeding habitat.
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Use of spray foam for a crawl space
Another common material used for home insulation is spray foam. It is also found to be effective in insulating tight spaces. But it is not suitable to use it for crawl spaces because of its capability of trapping moisture or water in the crawl space. Moisture or water is trapped in-between the foam and the wall. Hence, the moisture will rise and mold growth sets in or probably the wood above the crawl space starts to rot.
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Not covering vents
Vents available in crawl spaces are very vital to air circulation within a crawl space. There are many who believe that increasing the number of vents will result to more moisture removal from the space. However, adding more vents will bring negative result or effect. One effect of doing this is a rise in the moisture present in the crawl space. So ensuring that all existing vents are covered is important to reduction in the buildup of moisture.
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Wrong installation of drainage systems
One ordinary thing that happens in crawl spaces are leaks and standing pools of water. This occurs even in homes built to the highest building standards. Having a totally waterproofed crawl space is not possible. Therefore, there is need for a drainage system to drain out the water in your crawl space. Drainage systems for crawl spaces are of various types. It is also important to get the most suitable and effective drainage system for your home.
For a proper crawl space waterproofing, contacting a professional contractors is advised. This will help you in averting problems that may occur in the future.