What You Should Know About Crawlspace Mold

Crawlspaces are the perfect environment for mold to flourish.

Most crawlspaces are dark, filthy, and damp. Bugs like to reside in there. They’re vented to the outside air in the summer season (and in the winter season if you overlook to close your vents) which can be very humid.

Mold is a fungus that needs moisture, air, a food source, and wetness (high humidity) to grow and thrive.

Like plants, mold has cells. Nevertheless, unlike a plant that has chlorophyll and able to makes its food through photosynthesis, mold can not feed without wetness.

Mold replicates by launching its spores, this is mold’s survival system. Click here for mold removal services.

In addition to wetness, mold likewise requires the right temperature of 41 degrees Fahrenheit up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The last ingredient mold requires to prosper is food: high cellulose materials such as paper and wood, drywall, wallpaper, carpet, ceiling tiles, dust, and dirt.

Now that you comprehend why mold grows in your crawlspace, the remainder of this article will note and describe why you have wetness in your crawlspace and what you can do to remove the mold and repair the wetness issues. Visit https://austinmoldinspection.net/ for more mold inspection services.

The easiest way to figure out the relative humidity of your crawlspace is to utilize a hygrometer or you might install a digital thermo-hygrometer with a remote sensor to track it.

If the relative humidity is greater than 50% this could cause moisture issues that cause mold.

Mold will start to grow at 50% and will flourish when the humidity is greater than 70%.

The key to guaranteeing that your crawlspace does not end up being a source of mold is to find out how to control the humidity.

Listed below are the top 3 factors your crawlspace has high humidity.

# 1 Water Accumulation

If your crawlspace has standing water, you probably have a drain issue or a pipes leakage. This requires to be fixed instantly.

You do not want water to build up in your crawlspace because this will intensify your potential mold issues, not to mention as mold grows it will impact the indoor air quality of your house and health.

# 2 Moisture Evaporating from the Ground

When houses are built with crawl spaces, the majority of builders neglect to cover the ground, meaning that the crawlspace is covered with dirt.

Dirt has wetness and as the moisture vaporizes, it will increase the humidity in your crawlspace.

Unfortunately, this is a common problem. To prevent moisture from evaporating from the ground, the easiest option is to cover it up with a vapor barrier during crawlspace encapsulation.

# 3 Outdoor Air Coming in through Crawlspace Vents

The 3rd reason your crawlspace might have wetness problems is through the vents.

When you bring outside air into the crawlspace, the relative humidity can increase.

Cool air cannot hold as much wetness as warm air, so the air that enters is now closer to its saturation point, described as the dew point.

If your crawlspace is vented and the relative humidity is high, you need to fix the problems. It is not as simple as installing a dehumidifier either.

If you have water build-up, the source of the water must be attended to. If it is a plumbing concern, fix the leak. If the problem is caused by the drain, this needs to be fixed too.

If the issue relates to moisture vaporizing from the ground or outside air coming into your vents, this can be fixed with crawlspace encapsulation.