Moisture is Key to Controlling Mold in the Crawl Space

The crawl space is a perfect place to grow mold. It is one of the least visited areas of the home. This discreet location allows mold to grow for extended periods of time without being disturbed. In addition, the home’s heating & cooling system helps moderate crawl space temperatures, delivering near-perfect growing conditions year round.

The crawl space itself provides an almost unlimited food supply to sustain mold growth. The organic building material that makes up your house! How can our builders do this to us?

You Don’t Have a Mold Problem, You Have a Moisture Problem

Mold needs three things to grow; water, food & oxygen. Oxygen & food will always be present in air and organic host materials. Moisture is the only parameter on the list that we have the ability to control in a crawl space environment. If there is one important takeaway from this blog post…it is this – If you want to keep your crawl space free of mold, you have to be able to control the moisture in this area. PERIOD.

Four Ways to Reduce Crawl Space Moisture:

Water Always Finds its Way! – Collect & control water once it’s in:

The foundation waterproofing painted on by your contractor has an effective life span of about 10 years. Water, having no concept of time, relentlessly pushes against the foundation walls eventually forcing its way into the space through cracks and other developed weakness. Water that enters will accumulate in low areas of the crawl space and on top of vapor barriers. In this case, the vapor barrier works against you reducing the natural infiltration of water into the subsurface. Pooling water dramatically increases overall relative humidity inside the crawl space as it is a convenient & readily available moisture source.

A convenient place for water to accumulate in a crawl space is around low spots around foundation piers. Subsidence and the undermining of foundation piers due to water intrusion can lead to sagging & damaged flooring.

Installing a perimeter drain & sump pump will capture, control & remove water that enters the crawl space. This reduces the water’s potential to increase the relative humidity.

Always install a vapor barrier!

Controlling the water that enters the crawl space is only half the battle. A tremendous amount of water vapor is transferred from the earth into an unprotected crawl space though a process called evaporation. A properly installed crawl space vapor barrier is the most effective way to reduce the moisture that comes directly from the ground surface and should be installed in every home. The worst crawl space mold problems we see are typically with homes with missing vapor barriers. Instead of a few wet areas caused by a foundation leak, all areas not protected a vapor barrier contribute water vapor to the environment.

Condensation from duct work & leaking HVAC systems provides an additional supply of crawl space moisture. Reduced air movement and the lack sunshine reduces evaporation inside the area making drying difficult. Covering the earthen floor of the crawl space with a vapor barrier eliminates a large potential source of water vapor that could enter.

Install a crawl space dehumidifier:

Installing a crawl space dehumidifier helps remove moisture from the air and building materials inside of the crawl space. Their robust construction allows them to function in an unforgiving environment for extended periods of time without worry & maintenance.

Moisture is a critical component in the life cycle of mold. Understanding the different ways to control the moisture is the key to controlling mold growth in the crawl space.

Does every crawl space need encapsulated? Click the link to learn more about Encapsulated Crawl Space Pros & Cons and if they are right for your situation.

Would you like to schedule a free crawl space inspection? Click the link to learn more about the service and to schedule a time to come out!