Prepare your Crawlspace for Winter

Not all homes have a full basement. If your home has a crawlspace, its condition affects the health of your home and your family. As winter approaches, call on D-Bug Waterproofing to clean and seal your crawlspace.

A crawlspace does much more than you might think for your home.

It’s not just a place for plumbers and electricians to access piping and wiring — it’s actually designed to help with air circulation beneath, and even throughout, your home. Because of this, a dirty or even moldy crawlspace affects the health of your home.

Mold spores can end up entering your house and circulating throughout the house. This is because warm air will rise through the crawlspace and into the house.

This can seriously affect your health. Allergies can be exacerbated, and other health conditions made worse. Mold in the air can even cause a persistent cough or a nosebleed.

While crawlspaces do have the benefit of increasing air circulation through the home, they’re also prime spaces for water and mold/mildew to accumulate. It’s where rodents can enter, and even insects, including termites, may find their way into your home through your crawlspace.

Start By Checking Your Crawlspace for Leaks

As the weather gets colder and wetter, check the condition of your crawlspace. If you’ve had serious amounts of rain, or even flooding over the summer, your crawlspace can accumulate standing water. That makes it a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and insects.

At D-Bug Waterproofing, we have decades of experience inspecting and repairing basements, foundations, and crawlspaces throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. We Call on us. We’re ready to help you keep your home safe and your family health. You can ask a question or request a quote at 1-855-381-1528.

Kick Out Unwelcome Intruders

Termites

A termite infestation is extremely serious and can make your house completely unlivable. The moist wood in an unsealed crawlspace is a prime target for termites. Humidity and decaying wood are a termite’s best friends.

There are many signs of termites that you should look for, including:

• Termite dust (actually the insect’s droppings)
• Termite mud tunnels
• Swarming winged termites in spring
• Wood that sounds hollow when you tap on it

While not all of this will necessarily apply in a crawlspace, it’s still useful to keep in mind as you may find other signs in your home of these insects. If you have termites in your crawlspace or home, you need to hire a professional exterminator right away.

Rodents

You also need to keep an eye out for rodents. Not only can rodents cause damage to the wooden structures in your crawlspace, potentially weakening them, but they also leave droppings that can send allergens into your home.

The signs of rodents include:

• The smell of urine
• Materials that they use for nests, like pieces of shredded paper or fabric
• Chew marks on wood or on food packaging
• Holes chewed through walls or floors

While rodents are not quite as serious as a termite infestation, nonetheless they are problematic and can cause harm to both your home and your health. If you find that you have a rodent infestation in your crawlspace, you need to get ahold of a professional exterminator right away.

Insulating and Encapsulating to Your Crawlspace

One of the best ways to prevent crawlspace problems is to seal and add insulation to your crawlspace.

Insulation not only helps to keep the cold (and therefore moisture) out of your crawlspace during the winter months, but it also generally makes the crawlspace more functional.

Proper sealing can even turn your crawlspace from a dark and dingy mystery into an effective storage area.

Crawlspace insulation can help keep the floor above the crawlspace warmer in winter, but you don’t want to throw in fiberglass insulation on its own. If a water problem exists, you’re just making a home for inevitable mold growth.

You want a vapor barrier to reduce moisture, sealing the rim joist and crawlspace vents. Keeping out the cold winter air will help make the floor above the crawlspace warmer, and better protect any pipes or utilities inside the crawlspace.

The best way to do this is through complete “crawlspace encapsulation.”

Pittsburgh’s Crawlspace Experts

At D-Bug, we moisture proof and seal crawl spaces. We are not only basement waterproofing experts, and we have repaired thousands of crawlspaces too. We can:

• Divert water from your home and crawl space using French Drains, both interior and exterior.
• Clean mold from walls, joists, and floors using mold cleaner and applying mold retardant.
• Seal the floor and the walls of the crawl space with double bubble poly.
• In some applications D-Bug Waterproofing installs an E-Z Breathe Ventilation system to circulate and filter the airflow from the crawl space.

Want to learn more?  Call us today at 1-855-381-1528, or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to serving you and your family.

Trust D-Bug Waterproofing with Your Basement

Since 1939, D-Bug has been a locally owned and managed family business serving Southwestern PA. We know what it takes to get the job done. To schedule your free basement inspection, visit our Contact Us page or give us a call at 1-855-381-1528.