Crawl Space Drain Systems

Water in your crawl space is a problem for several reasons. It causes wood rot, pest activity, and mildew and mold growth. Additionally, because warm air rises, the moisture in your crawl space is drawn up into the upper levels of the home, bringing humidity and odors with it. Without a drain system to divert water out of and away from your crawl space, your home is susceptible to damage.

How Does Water Enter Crawl Spaces?

Many homes are built on land that hasn’t been graded properly. Even if the lot was graded when the home was built, over time and as landscaping evolves, drainage issues develop. When a home experiences a heavy rain, water can easily enter the crawl space.

Why It’s Important to Prevent Water in Your Crawl Space

When wood and other building materials are allowed to stay damp, mold, mildew, and termites thrive. These problems not only cause costly structural damage to your home, they also affect your family’s health. Here’s a look at why it’s essential to prevent water from sitting in your crawl space.

1. Structural Damage — When water collects on the wood in the sub-structure of your home, rot can occur. Over time, wood begins to deteriorate, causing structural damage. Beyond the wood rot problem is the issue of termites. Termites thrive in moist, humid environments, and they consider the wood in your crawl space a feast. When faced with these factors, your sub-structure quickly becomes unstable.
2. Excessive Energy Costs — Over 40% of the air in your home is drawn from your crawl space. Humidity rises with that air into the upper levels of the home. When you combat high humidity levels in your home with air conditioning, your energy bill rises.
3. Pests — Pests like insects, snakes, and rodents enjoy living in humid crawl spaces. If they have access to the water they need to thrive, you may experience infestations.
4. Health Problems — Mold spores and dust mites travel into the upper areas of your home, where your family lives. These allergens create respiratory problems, eye irritation, and headaches. For people who have a sensitivity or an allergy, these problems can be severe.

How We Use Drain Systems To Rid Crawl Spaces of Water

Because every situation is different and will require specific solutions, all of our drain system services are custom-designed, based on your individual situation and needs.

Our first step is to inspect your crawl space to find out where water is coming from.

• Are there leaks that need to be fixed?
• Are there cracks that need to be sealed?
• Is the grading problematic?
• Is water entering through the foundation?

We also look for damage that needs to be remediated.

• Has wood rot set in?
• Is there mold hiding in any tucked-away corners or in the insulation?

Based on your individual situation, we then recommend a drainage system that will take care of your water problem.

• The system may include subsurface drains to take water to a central location to be removed from the crawl space.
• It may involve a series of drains.