Crawlspace - Underhouse - Floods - Water Under Your House Can Cause a Variety of Problems
Position water or wet soil in your home's crawlspace can come from a variety of sources. These may include but end up not being limited to the following.
(1) A leaking freshwater supply line, usually galvanized, copper, pvc or pex.
(2) A leaking sewer drain line, usually cast iron, galvanized, clay or ABS.
(3) Naturally excessive groundwater table.
(4) Over watering of plants around your home (creating a man made high water table).
(5) Sprinklers spraying through the crawlspace vents.
(6) Leaking swimming pools (this is rare).
(7) Improperly redirected gutter downspouts.
(8) Stream or river flooding.
Standing water or extremely damp soil in your home's living room crawlspace (under house) can cause a variety of structural problems and health concerns. Excess humidity caused by the evaporation involving standing water or wet soil in your crawlspace can cause mold growth on the wooden foundation and the bottom part of sub flooring. It can also cause warping or buckling of sub flooring and mold growth inside living area of the building. If your home has H. V. A. C. (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) ducting in the crawlspace and the system is compromised with excess moisture, microbial amplification may result. All of these factors can possibly create unhealthy indoor air quality. A broken sewer line in your crawlspace and the subsequent release associated with raw sewage onto your crawlspace soil can create an awful odor problem in your home. Also there are possible health concerns to your constant inhalation of sewer gas from an open or broken sewer line.
Some solutions to the down sides mentioned above. Try to determine the source of the water intrusion and correct it yourself. This may be as simple since redirecting sprinkler heads, fixing leaky outdoor faucets or redirecting gutter downspouts. If you suspect plumbing troubles, you should call a licensed plumber.
Often , there is too much water under your house for a plumber to properly examine the pipes, you may need to call a Water Damage Restoration company. Many water damage companies offer crawlspace de-flooding together with or sewage cleanup, should the leak be from a sewer drain line. After the water is removed along with the crawlspace made accessible a plumber can check for leaky pipes. If your foundation is wet you may need a water damage and mold restoration company to dry it for you, in order to prevent mold growth.
If you have over watering problems or maybe a high water table you may need to contact a landscape engineer or a water proofing contractor to design a The language drain system or other remedy to keep water from accumulating under your home. Many plumbing companies and water proofing contractors will also install sump pump systems in the low area of your crawlspace to help stop water pooling. You may also want to consider having a crawlspace dehumidifier installed to regulate the relative humidity to a stage that will inhibit structural damage or mold growth. Another way to keep air flowing through the crawlspace (and thereby promoting evaporation) is by installing crawlspace ventilation fans over your existing crawlspace vents. There are companies who can completely encapsulate your crawlspace with thick plastic, thereby effectively sealing your home off from the bottom.
As you can see there are many problems that can arise from excessive water or moisture in your home or buildings crawlspace and just as many solutions. Should you suspect a problem that may need a professional solution, a good place to start is on the internet with all your favorite search engine and a search for "crawlspace". This should get you started in the right direction with any crawlspace (under house) issues you may have.