CRAWL SPACE PROBLEMS AND DAMAGE
Critters - Bugs, Rodents
and MORE Bugs.
Dirt Crawl Spaces are great places to live, thrive and reproduce
if you're a bug. There is an even temperature, moist, damp
wood and shelter. Spiders, beetles, centipedes, termites,
and all kinds of other insects are found in dirt crawl spaces. |
Animals such as mice (dead and alive) are commonly found in
dirt crawl spaces. In some cases, even rats, snakes and small
animals have been found.
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CONDENSATION
Because of the high humidity level in a dirt crawl space,
cool surfaces such as the earth at 55 degrees, concrete and
metal surfaces will sweat with water vapor condensing out
of the air. This causes rot, smells, and is a water source
for critters. |
MOLD
Mold spores, the seeds of mold, are in the air everywhere.
All they need to grow is organic material such as wood, the
right temperature range, and moisture. Of these, the only
one that can be controlled is moisture. Dirt crawl spaces
have the high humidity levels necessary for mold growth. Humidity
levels from 50% to 90% are easily found in dirt crawl spaces
that have never flooded. |
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Mold can grow on dirt, insulation, framing and even under
your carpet on the first floor. Mold destroys organic materials
as it feeds on them. Mold reproduces by producing millions
of floating airborne spores, which some people are very sensitive
to. Spores can be dormant for many years, waiting for the
right conditions to grow. Some molds produce mycotoxins such
as the black mold Stachybotrys. Many articles can be found
on the effects of mold, and toxic mold. |
Dr. Harriet Burge, an expert in airborne diseases
at the Harvard School of Public Health says, "Mold in
houses is not a good thing. It could lead to asthma. Houses
with mold are damp, and have dust mites and other things in
them that can cause illness, especially in children."
Don't panic; there is a solution that will stop your crawl
space from being a hospitable environment for mold. Mold will
not grow when the humidity levels are reduced below 40%.
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STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
Moisture is the prime factor that causes structural damage,
and over time, rot and decay from a moist environment damage
wood framing and steel structural members. Walls made of block
or stone often let moisture into a crawl space. That's why
it's important for a solution to include the walls as well
as the floor. |
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