Water should not be in your crawl space as even a little bit will cause problems. Unfortunately water will not go away if it is already in a crawl space. If a crawl space is not vented and there is no way for that small amount of water to evaporate, then it will sit and become a breeding ground for bacteria. This will lead to mold and the formation of mildew in your crawl space that will cause a bad odor that will eventually penetrate into the main house. Vented crawl spaces will have a constant air flow, so water should not puddle up beneath your home. Regardless if your crawl space is vented or unvented, sitting water will not be good as it can cause damage to the surrounding area and to the interior of the house. Water beneath a crawl space may indicate that there is a poor ventilation system, or it could be the vapor barrier has failed and groundwater is now seeping up through the ground. Other reasons may be that water is not properly directed away from the structure. Fixing this issue may include reinstalling new gutters or down sprouts. Once the water is down there, then it will need to be removed. Small hand pumps can be purchased from local home improvement stores to help pump smaller amounts of water out from beneath the home. Regardless of the amount of water, it will need to be removed before any type of repair can be done to the crawl space. Dehumidifiers are great for maintaining the proper humidity levels in a crawl space and will take moisture out of the air. Water will cause a greater amounts of humidity underneath your home, which could lead to the corrosion of the structure and more water related issues. Therefore these dehumidifiers will return the air to a normal amount of humidity for the crawl space. After the water has been removed, identify how the water is entering the crawl space and fix any damage that may have been caused. A new vapor barrier may need to be installed on the floors and walls of the crawl space. These precautions will help to keep water out so that the area beneath your home is dry.
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