A crawl space floods for various reasons. You may live in a flood zone, the drainage around your home may be ineffective, or your crawl space wasn’t designed correctly in the first place. Whatever the reason, there’s a good chance that you will have to deal with a flooded crawl space before too long.
Cleaning a crawl space. There are several steps necessary to truly dry out a crawl space and determine the job is done correctly. The job starts with removing any standing water. Depending on how much water has gotten into the flooded space, you may need to till the soil and treat it with an anti-microbial product. When drying out the crawl space, you will also need to remove any items in the area. If any insulation has been water-damaged, throw it out and replace it with new insulation.
Dry out more than the crawl space floor. Drying out a crawl space includes drying out the wood framing, the subflooring above the crawl space and the crawl space floor.
After drying the crawl space. Once everything is dry, it will be necessary to clean the surfaces inside the crawl space to discourage the spread of mold. It’s also necessary to check the wiring in the crawl space for damage. It may be unsafe to use the outlets in or near the crawl space.
Will my crawl space dry out on its own? If there is heavy water saturation and the temperature in the crawl space does not get much higher than 40 or 50 degrees, the process to dry out the crawl space could take several weeks and possibly even months. We often hear from homeowners that the smell of the damp crawl space is intolerable and becomes even more aggravating with time.
Why hire professionals? Restoration1 has state-of-the-art heating and dehumidifying equipment needed to speed up the drying process and even make it possible to dry it out in the first place. Professional restoration companies are able to accomplish these jobs much quicker, and more thoroughly, than if you tried taking care of the entire project yourself.
Assess possible issues. There are several other factors that should be considered when there is water in the crawl space. Homeowners should evaluate the drainage around the house as ineffective drainage can lead to rain runoff getting into the crawl space. You may also need to install a sump pump. And finally, in order to keep a crawl space completely dry, you may need to encapsulate the crawl space. Again, encapsulation is only effective if performed by professionals.
Crawl space flooding is a common problem, but one that you shouldn’t have to live with. There are solutions that professional restoration companies can recommend. Professionally trained technicians, with the proper equipment, will be able to dry your crawl space faster and resolve issues better than doing the project on your own. Give us a call at 72O-605-2994 or visit our website for more information on Restoration1 of West Denver and our water damage experts.