Our daily rhythm makes us forget to pay attention to things like health care; work, studies, or responsibilities consume all our time. Among the things that we postpone several correspond to the house where we live, we rely on the superficial and do not thoroughly review its structure and conditions.
Our personal spaces represent an essential point in the mental stability that we all want to have. For this reason, taking care of and repairing parts such as the crawl space will allow us to live more calmly, leaving aside the worries of knowing if your home resists heavy rain or the winter season.
We leave for later that tiny crack, or the leak we hear every night but do not attend to, and so on with many more details. Details to which we pay more attention when they become more serious such as humidity or visible mold.
For this reason, at Zeromold, we recommend conducting an annual inspection with professionals to verify that even the most minor corner of our home is kept in optimal conditions so that our loved ones live well and happily.
Preventive Maintenance
There is a very popular saying that it is better to be safe than sorry; this applies to many life factors. For example, our home requires care so that its useful life is long; it is common for the structure of a building to be affected by things such as moisture in the crawl space, the weather, natural disasters, or accidents.
These factors are unpredictable and can bring unpleasant odors or the appearance of mold; these situations can trigger severe problems for your health and the health of your favorite people too.
Procedures such as crawlspace encapsulation are preventive resources against the damage that water can leave if it stagnates in one place or penetrates the walls. This encapsulation is an investment rather than an expense since, in the long run, the costs of repairing and cleaning the consequences of water damage can exceed 5000 dollars, as indicated by The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).
Causes of humidity
A vital step to solve problems such as mold or moisture in crawl space is to identify where the water is coming from and what type of humidity is taking over the areas. The different causes for which humidity can appear in the crawl space are:
Accidental moisture
This type of humidity occurs by seeping through some minor leak, for example, damaged heating pipes or ventilation systems. However, even if there is a small leak, it is much more challenging to identify the problem until stains are already visible on the walls, peeling paint, and in some cases, the appearance of toxic mold.
Construction moisture
This type of humidity is the consequence of bad practices when building a house. The drying times of construction materials such as concrete must be correct; in this way, the moisture that would later come to the surface will not be a problem.
Filtering moisture
Leakage is a consequence of poorly carried out waterproofing work; water penetrates from the outside through the walls or the roof. This type of humidity usually appears in attics and crawl spaces and has a particular odor.
In these cases, it is necessary to identify where the leak occurs to make the appropriate repairs.
Condensation moisture
This humidity is a significant factor in the appearance of mold; the temperature changes between the cold outside and the warm environment inside the house cause the condensation of water, forming drops that remain attached to the surfaces.
Therefore, it is necessary to ventilate all spaces in the home very well to avoid it. The drops of water penetrate surfaces such as wood or walls and remain there, creating the perfect environment for toxic mold to affect your health.
Capillarity moisture
This humidity is ascending; it comes from the ground and gradually rises through the foundations. This type of humidity can cause a lot of damage to the infrastructure of your house.
If preventive measures such as crawl space encapsulation don't exist, water can enter and is absorbed by the insulation materials, favoring the appearance of odors, mold, and diseases.
Is your crawl space making you sick?
It is a good question if you suspect problems like moisture or leaks in your crawl space.
The immune system controls our body's reaction to bacteria, viruses, and any pathogen capable of making us sick. We have always heard that it is enough to exercise and eat healthy to have a robust immune system, but controlling the characteristics of the environment surrounding us is also essential.
If we have a crawl space in our house, we cannot only occupy it to store things and forget about its maintenance; it is necessary to take preventive measures such as crawl space encapsulation and to install vapor barriers. By accepting these measures, their effect will be seen immediately in improving air quality.
So, if you find breathing difficult, have a feeling of oppression in your chest, or a musty smell fills you in your crawlspace, you should inspect to rule out problems like moisture in crawl space.
The only reason someone could get sick from being in it for a long time is that it does not have proper maintenance, and mold and odors end up harmful to your health. So take a step forward in caring for your health and hire certified professionals to construct and maintain spaces.
Invest now, save tomorrow
If you are concerned about your family's health, you must make decisions that contribute to their well-being. Therefore, considering insurance against water damage, preventive procedures, and periodic inspections carried out by professionals should be a priority.
At Zeromold Chicago, we want to accompany you in this process; we have different services you can request to prevent or attend to any emergency that may arise at very affordable costs. So let's get in contact, and do not wait until your house is in trouble to hire a professional.