Don't See Water? The Signs of Water Damage in the Crawl Space in Oregon
Challenge
Numerous homeowners have experienced water issues in their crawl space and understand the negative effects it can have on the structural integrity of the home. But, usually they only notice these issues if they see water puddling in the crawl space. While seeing water is never a good sign, it also isn't the only tell that your crawl space is experiencing moisture issues. Here's how John's Waterproofing can identify all the signs that there is water in the crawl space.
Solution
The thing about water is that it evaporates. It will flood into your crawl space and stay there until temperatures rise and it can evaporate into the air. That air flows up into the living space and gets into the air you breathe. That means, homeowners could be exposed to poor air quality without even realizing there's a problem. One of the biggest signs that water is seeping into your crawl space is efflorescence. This looks like a white, chalky material on your foundation walls. Efflorescence is when the minerals in concrete or soil dissolve in water and end up as deposits on the surface of a wall or floor. Water brings them in and as it evaporates, it leaves those minerals behind. Just by looking around your crawl space and seeing any of the white powder it appears as is an indicator you have water issues. Another sign is noticing the lines on your wooden posts appear distorted. This happens when any wood experiences water damage and the wood fibers expand and alter as that moisture is absorbed. When you see any kind of water damage on wood, it's important to act quickly because this is what will cause the wood to rot and become too deteriorated to support your home. And finally, one of the biggest signs that your crawl space is experiencing water issues is mold. The purpose of mold is to break down dead organic materials and can send out spores causing it to spread. Mold needs a 70% relative humidity in order to grow and in a crawl space the humidity of surfaces is higher than the outside air. This means that for mold to have the exposure to grow then water is seeping into the crawl space, evaporating, and increasing the humidity levels. No homeowner wants to experience any of these issues due to excess water, so the best thing to protect your home is by starting with keeping your crawl space dry and healthy.
