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After all the rain, my house now smells like damp earth. This seems like a bad thing to me. We have a crawlspace with vapor barrier. Any suggestions? seems like a moisture problem...
and so my thread doesn't get kicked out of the forum--can someone recommend a local moisture remediation company? We're in Durham...
Thanks!
After all the rain, my house now smells like damp earth. This seems like a bad thing to me. We have a crawlspace with vapor barrier. Any suggestions? seems like a moisture problem...
and so my thread doesn't get kicked out of the forum--can someone recommend a local moisture remediation company? We're in Durham...
Thanks!
Make sure your vents are open, to air it out.
Unfortunately, this is a major flaw of basements and crawl spaces. After having both my entire life, I am appreciating a slab now.......no smells.
you can do yourself.
The first thing to look at is your grading. Our good ol' rock-hard clay can be very useful for water control. You can pick some up at building sites. (Ask, but there is usually no problem). The dirt around the outside of your foundation should slope down and away from the house. Even a gentle slope is helpful, but keep the edge of the dirt at least 6" below the start of the siding or any wood products to slow down termites.
Foundation plants can be useful in absorbing water, but keep them cut away from the house by at least 12". The dirt around them will settle after planting, too, so watch the slope. I slope flower beds away from the house and then add a small "ditch" outside the border that drains extra water away.
Gutters help tremendously, but make sure the downspouts channels water away, not toward the foundation. Extensions (metal or plastic roll outs) should be added. Both need clearance to be able to work correctly and should extend either about 6' or a few feet if there is a little slope away from the house. Make sure all components stay cleared of debris or the water could back up and enter the walls at the top of the wall, not a good thing.
If you still have water intrusion, or if there is standing water in your yard that stays more than 24 hours, you may also need a swale in your yard and between your yard and the neighbors.
Severe water intrusion problems that cannot be controlled as easily will require a French drain outside. You will still need good grading. You may also need a French drain inside with a sump pump added) the perimeter of the foundation. You may also need waterproof coatings on the inside and outside of the foundation walls.
I am going to PM a company name to you.
Poke your head down there and see if you have any standing water...if not...
don't bother wasting tons of money on a remediation company. You can accomplish it by simply putting in a $150 dehumidifier and setting it to 50%. You should already have an available outlet in the crawlspace if the house is less than 30 years old. Just have to run a 1" condensation line out the foundation wall and plug it in. Remediation companies use very expensive, overkill techniques to separate the moisture from the crawl and you from your money.
If you do have standing water do as House Lady suggested and check your soil grade around the house. If you have heavy mulch at the foundation back it off as it holds moisture to the porous masonry block allowing it to wick in. If you want further advice please feel free to message me, I just want to save you some cash.
Poke your head down there and see if you have any standing water...if not...
don't bother wasting tons of money on a remediation company. You can accomplish it by simply putting in a $150 dehumidifier and setting it to 50%. You should already have an available outlet in the crawlspace if the house is less than 30 years old. Just have to run a 1" condensation line out the foundation wall and plug it in. Remediation companies use very expensive, overkill techniques to separate the moisture from the crawl and you from your money.
If you do have standing water do as House Lady suggested and check your soil grade around the house. If you have heavy mulch at the foundation back it off as it holds moisture to the porous masonry block allowing it to wick in. If you want further advice please feel free to message me, I just want to save you some cash.
Hi Sacredgrooves,
your post is interesting. It just happens that a waterproofing company recently gave me a quote for about $ 9,000 to solve a similar problem (moisture, water intrusion, efflorescence no smell though) in a 2-year-old house. Basically, they said they would replace the current corrugated pipe under the crawlspace with a square one that cannot clog. They would also add weep holes by drawing holes in the wall to get the water to drain; they would then add a rigid sealer and a sump pump. Actually we do not have a sump pump but I feel gravity drain should be enough. They also would install what they call a dual-flow ventilation system that would bring the air from the house in the crawlspace, etc. I am not sure how it works since this is not my area...My question is do you think this is an overkill?
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There are some easy things...
