The Northwest is notorious for its nasty, wet winter storms. Seattle had never seen a daily rainfall of 4 inches or more until Oct. 20, 2003, when a torrential 5.02 inches deluged the city—setting a new record for the wettest day in Seattle history. Just four years later, 3.77 inches fell at the height of widespread flooding in Western Washington, placing Dec. 3, 2007 second on the list. The Portland area is not far behind in these records. It seems these storms are becoming more prevalent so if you have experienced a flooded crawl space recently…it’s time to call in Crawl Pros!
You might think you can solve the winter storm mess on your own. This is sometimes just a one-time cleanup, however, in many cases to prevent ongoing flooding it’s best to call in the experts. Crawl Pros specializes in evaluating the flooded crawl space and taking the steps to prevent it from happening again. Here are just a few steps Crawl Pros will take to prevent a flooded crawl space in the future:
- Stop any water from entering your crawl space. Crawl Pros experts will look around for foundation cracks, fix leaking pipes and seal up vents. A foundation crack is a sure sign that you have a structural problem that will lead to future flooding.
- Remove excess moisture. Use a pump to remove puddles and flooding and check the grading around your home.
- Install french drains and a high quality sump pump.
- Clean-up! Remove wet insulation, debris and disinfect your crawl space.
- Encapsulate your crawl space. Crawl Pros can seal up your crawl space from the ground up – this will help prevent moisture from entering and creating a mess.
Crawl Pros Solves Your Flooded Crawl Space Issues
Most likely if your crawl space flooded once it will happen again. And, once your crawl space is flooded there may be lingering issues, even if the water has soaked into the ground.
The Indoor Air Quality division of the Environmental Protection Agency recommends, “Clean and dry any damp or wet building materials and furnishings within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth.” When you face a flooded crawl space, you don’t want to wait for further damage to occur, or health problems to crop up.
Some of the issues to be aware after your crawl space floods include:
- Moisture: When moisture is present in the crawl space it can cause long-term structural damage to your home. Your crawl space forms part of your home’s structural integrity. Crawl space moisture can spread to other areas like wall spaces, under floors, etc. As moisture rises, wood can start to rot. Crawl Pros are experts and identifying and removing moisture to help prevent mold and mildew from forming.
- Humidity: Mold and mildew multiply with humidity and surface moisture. To combat this issue we install dehumidifiers and fans to circulate the air help maintain a constant temperature in the crawl space.
- Mold & Mildew: They can be very hazardous to your health. If either gets into your crawl space, they can enter your air exchange, and from there spores can spread to other parts of your home. We are certified to deal with these problems without affecting your living space.
- Debris: Crawl spaces often become places where trash and debris collect, as well as animals and their wastes. Mold can follow very easily. We will clean up these areas so you don’t have to do it.
The best way to completely solve your flooded crawl space issue is to install a sump pump and perhaps even encapsulate the entire crawl space.
Sump pumps work to keep ground water from making its way into your home. Sump pumps can also help remove moisture if it has already made its way into a basement. Although a sump pump will not keep leakage from entering through the walls of a basement, it can help reduce ground water that may cause or worsen an already existing problem. Crawl Pros offers professional sump pump installation and can provide you with a free estimate to help solve your drainage issues.
Another option is to completely encapsulate your crawl space. Encapsulation involves installing a plastic vapor barrier throughout the entirety of your crawl space. Encapsulation, along with a sump pump and humidifiers can help prevent flooding and prevent moisture from causing structural damage to your home and health problems with your family.
Added benefits of encapsulation include: stopping rodents from making a home in your crawl space, helping your house stay at a steady temperature, improving air quality and help to eliminate gases such as radon from leaking up from the crawl space.
No one wants to deal with a flooded crawl space. It’s messy, unnerving and can be dangerous to your health. Call Crawl Pros today at (866) 673-9626 to learn more about how we can help solve your flooded crawl space issues. Out consultations are free.