Negative Effects of a Wet Crawl Space
Since air originates in your crawl space and flows upward into the upper levels of your home, it brings the humidity from the crawl space with it. Even if there isn’t standing water in your crawl space, damp air can still have a negative effect on your home. Some of these negative effects include:
- Dust mites (the most common indoor allergen)
- Sticking/jamming doors and windows
- Smelly, damp carpets
- Buckling hardwood floors
- Rotting and mold in your attic
- Frost or condensation on the inside of windows during cold months
- Increased cooling/heating bills (damp air takes more energy to cool/heat)
- Mold in upper levels of your home
- Decreased life of roof shingles and exterior paint on home
- Aggravated asthma and allergies
The damage from water to the crawl space itself is obvious. This list points out a few of the damages that might not be so obvious. Your crawl space has a bigger impact on your home than you may think!