Top 3 Ways To Keep Your Crawl Space Dry

 Spring is right around the corner and for Indiana that means lots of rain as well. Now is the best time to make sure your homes crawl space stays dry. Protecting your crawl space against standing water is one of the best investments a homeowner can do. Standing water in the crawl space leads to expensive wood rot, musty smells and mold growth. Most of the air in your home you breath in comes directly from your crawl space. If your crawl space has standing water issues like mold growth, this mold also makes its way up into the air you breath in. Keeping your crawl space dry and free of standing water not only protects your home but also the health of everyone in it. Here are Top 3 Ways To Keep Your Crawl Space Dry. 

1. Positive Grading. The first step to ensuring your crawl space stays dry is to inspect the soil grading around your homes foundation. There are two type of soil grading around your home. The first being Negative Grading. Negative grading is when the soil around your foundation is sloped toward your house. This type of grading is bad. It allows storm water to drain toward your homes foundation and into the crawl space or basement. The second type of soil grading is positive grading. Positive grading is good. This is when the soil is sloped away from the homes foundation, allowing water to drain away from your home. Homeowners should inspect the soil grading around the entire foundation of the home. If negative grading is noticed, then more soil may need to be added to create a positive grade. Typically, a 5% slope is great for proper storm water drainage around the home. An easy way to think about it is a 5% slope translate to about a 6" drop per 10'. 

2. Down Spout Extensions. The second step to making sure your crawl space stays dry is making sure all your down spouts are properly extended away from your homes foundation. The roof of your home produces a large amount of water during rain storms. In fact, on a 1200sq.ft. roof 1" of rain will produce around 720 gallons of water. That is an extremely large amount of water that flows through your down spouts and into your yard. If your down spouts are not properly extended away from your home, all that water coming off your roof is then dump right next to your homes foundation. This not only leads to standing water issues in your crawl space, but can also lead to major foundation settling issues. Down spouts should be extended away from your home at a minimum of 10'-15'. This can vary depending of the property lay out. Some down spouts may need to be extended further if the yard is pretty flat or if there are negative grading issues. Extend the down spouts far enough away so that the water doesn't make it's way back to your foundation. This can be accomplished many different ways and can be extended either above the ground or below the ground. 

3. Crawl Space Drainage System. The third step to making sure your crawl space stays dry forever is to install a complete crawl space drainage system around the inside perimeter of the crawl space. In Indiana we tend to deal with high water table issues and have soil that does not allow water to drain very fast. Because of that, Indiana crawl spaces can still have major standing water issues even if the down spouts are extended and the soil has positive grade. When this happens the most effective, permanent solution is to install a interior crawl space drainage system with a sump basin and sump pump. This system collects and directs the water to the sump basin and sump pump which then pumps the water away from your house. For most, this is not a DIY project like the first two ways mentioned above. Homeowners who are dealing with standing water issues after completing the first two recommendations above should seek out a qualified crawl space waterproofing contractor to install a complete crawl space drainage system. In Indiana, our company SwainCo. Crawl Space and Basement Repair is the qualified crawl space waterproofing contractor to call for a complete crawl space drainage system. Click Here to find out more about Indy's most trusted crawl space waterproofer. 

Indiana Crawl Space Vents

Crawl space ventilation in Indiana was based on the idea that installing foundation vents around the perimeter of the crawl space foundation would allow for outside air to flow through crawl space, which in turn would allow the crawl space to dry out by allowing more air to circulate through the crawl space. But here in Indiana, the opposite is true and here’s why.

During the spring and summer months in Indiana, the outside air tends to be very hot and humid. Humid because of the relative humidity or the moisture that this outside air has in it. Your crawl space on the other hand tends to be relatively cool year round due to it basically being a large hole in the ground. Crawl space vents allow this hot and humid outside air to flow into your crawl space carrying with it the high levels of moisture that is already in the air. This alone introduces your crawl space to additional moisture by allowing the wet, hot outside air to flow into your crawl space. Additional moisture is also created in the crawl space due to the fact that this wet, humid outside air is now mixing with the cooler air in the crawl space.

Outside air mixing with the cooler air in the crawl space causes additional moisture due to the fact that for every (1) degree that warm air is cooled, the relative humidity increases by 2.2 percent. When the relative humidity of the air in your crawl space exceeds 100%, the moisture is released from the air in the form of actual water or condensation. Examples of this can be seen in the crawl space on duct lines and pipes in the form of condensation.

Based on these facts, we can now take a look at an example of an average size Indiana vented crawl space and how wet, humid outside air can affect the moisture levels. Let’s assume the outside temperature in the air is 80 degrees with a relative humidity of 80%. And we will assume the air temperature in the crawl space is 65 degrees. The difference in the temperature of the outside air versus the crawl space air is 15 degrees. We now know that for every degree the warm air is cooled, the relative humidity increases by 2.2%. If the outside air is cooled by 15 degrees, that creates an additional 33% increase in the relative humidity of the outside air once it makes it way into the crawl space. Which increases the overall relative humidity for the outside air to 113% which is impossible because once the relative humidity reaches 100%, moisture is released from the air in the form of water or condensation.

For these reasons, foundation vents that allow outside air into crawl space will not help in reducing the moisture levels of the crawl space. In fact, more ventilation of the crawl space will only increase the moisture problem of a crawl space. For more information click here or visit www.swaincollc.com 

Battery Back-Up Sump Pumps For Basements

If you live in Indiana, this time of year is a great time to make sure you are taking the right steps to ensure you maintain a dry basement. Spring weather in Indiana tends to be very wet. Melting snow, warmer temperatures, heavy rains, all lead to problems most basement homeowners are all too familiar with-flooded basements. Certain steps to maintaining a dry basement involve interior or exterior drainage systems, extending downspouts away from the foundation, and installing sump pumps. Although these steps are very important in keeping your basement dry, they do not however address the issue of power outages or extreme water infiltration that overwhelms your existing pump system. To address these concerns a battery back-up sump pump should be installed. This is even more important if your basement is used as a living area, having carpet, furniture, and appliances located there. One power outage or an extensive heavy rain to cause expensive problems buy ruining these items in your basement. The cost of a battery back-up sump pump is less than the cost of replacing carpet and furniture that was damage because of water. To find out more about steps to keeping your Indiana basement dry click here or visit www.swaincollc.com

Crawl Space Services In Indianapolis, IN

Indiana spring weather can and usually does bring heavy amounts of rain. For those homeowners who live above a crawl space, spring tends to be a very problematic time of the year. The melting of snow combined with the intense rain leads to many water problems for Indiana crawl spaces. The outside soil becomes very saturated with water, allowing moisture and water to seep through foundation blocks and rise through the ground and into the crawl space. Without a proper crawl space drainage system, this water in the crawl space than begins to add additional problems for the house. Standing water in your crawl space causes musty smells in the living area, possible mold growth on the structure components, and expensive crawl space wood damage. 40% of the air in the upstairs living area actually comes from the crawl space. This is caused by stack effect, or the natural air flow of the home being from bottom to top. The air flow carries with it the moisture, mold spores, and smells from the crawl space into the living area. Which is why the health of your crawl space is such an important issue not only for your crawl space, but for the rest of the living area in your home. Ensuring your crawl space stays healthy starts by keeping your crawl space dry from standing water. This can be done by a number of methods, including crawl space drainage systems, sump pumps, downspout extensions, and even going further by installing a crawl space encapsulation system. Benefits of a crawl space encapsulation system range from removing musty smells to lowering energy cost. To find out more information on how to keep your crawl space healthy click here or visit www.swaincollc.com  

Crawl Space Vapor Barrier in Indianapolis

Homeowners in Indianapolis and surrounding areas that live above a crawl space tend to have many of the same issues concerning their crawl space. One of the more common issues is a damp, musty odor coming from their crawl space and into the living area. A possible solution to this problem is a proper crawl space vapor barrier or a crawl space encapsulation system.
Most Indianapolis crawl spaces have a dirt floor. Moisture, mold spores, and even odors can travel out of the dirt floor and into the living area. This process is often referred to as stack effect. The two best methods of reducing this effect in the living area of the home is either by the installation of a crawl space vapor barrier or a complete crawl space encapsulation system. A crawl space vapor barrier is typically a 6mill plastic that is laid across the entire crawl space dirt floor. This helps in keeping moisture, mold spores, and even odors trapped underneath it, preventing them from traveling with the natural air flow of the home (bottom to top) and into the living areas. Occasionally a crawl space vapor barrier alone may not be enough to eliminate all these issues with moisture, mold spores, and odors. This is due to the fact that a crawl space vapor barrier does not completely seal the crawl space off from the living areas of the home. It simply seals off most of the dirt floor areas of the crawl space, which is better than no vapor barrier at all. To seal off the entire crawl space environment from the living areas, a crawl space encapsulation system is needed. The crawl space encapsulation system will typically be between 12-20 mill thick and will extend up the foundation walls and across the dirt floor. The top edge is then attached and sealed to the foundation walls. This provides a complete seal of moisture, mold spores, and odors in your crawl space, preventing them from coming into the living areas of your home.
If you are experiencing damp, musty odors in the living areas of home, click here or call SwainCo. today for a free inspection and evaluation at 317-294-5278.

Crawl Space Wood Repair in Indianapolis

A very common problem with crawl spaces in Indianapolis is structural wood damage. This type of problem also tends to be one of the more expensive problems to repair right. Many homeowners discover wood damage in their crawl space because of a some type of problem in the living area such as cracked dry wall or uneven floors. The reasons for the wood damage can range from wood destroying insects to moisture related issues, more times than not it's moisture related.

Homeowners can take preventive steps to minimize the chance of moisture related wood damage. The first step would be to make sure all downspouts are extended out away from the house and your yard has proper grade away from your foundation. Another step would be to make sure your crawl space does not get standing water. If you have a crawl space that tends to get standing water than a sump pump and/or drainage system may need to be installed to prevent standing water in your crawl space. Also, most crawl spaces in Indianapolis tend to have a dirt floor. This dirt floor naturally has moisture escaping out of it and into the structural components of your crawl space. This occurs whether you have standing water or not. To help minimize this moisture that escapes from your crawl space dirt floor a vapor barrier needs to be installed along the dirt floor. I would recommend at least a 6 mill vapor barrier installed. There is also the chance that your crawl space could be getting excessive amounts of moisture from block seepage or from outside air coming in through your crawl space vents. If this is the case than a complete crawl space encapsulation system may be needed.

If you are experiencing any signs of crawl space wood damage such as dry-wall cracks, uneven floors, or bouncy floors call SwainCo today for a free and honest crawl space evaluation.  Or if you are interested in the preventive steps mentioned above call SwainCo for a free estimate on all your crawl space needs or visit www.swaincollc.com for more information.

A Clean and Healthy Crawl Space

Dirty, wet, moldy, dark, nasty, musty. These are words most Indiana homeowners would use to describe their crawl space and rightfully so. It's a place that most dare never to go or see. But your crawl space doesn't have to be described this way nor do you necessary want it described this way. Your crawl space is one of the most important parts of your home. A wet, moldy crawl space can lead to very serious problems. A dry, clean, and healthy crawl space is not only possible but it's also something you need to preserve the structurally integrity of your home. One of the best, most effective ways in doing this is to encapsulate your crawl space. A crawl space encapsulation system helps prevent moisture causing wood rot and mold growth. It also eliminates musty smells coming from your crawl space and can help reduce energy cost by 15%-30%.

To have your crawl space transformed into a safe and healthy crawl space for both your home and family schedule a free inspection today. For more information on crawl space encapsulation or any crawl space repair problems visit www.swaincollc.com or call 317-828-7897

Crawl Space Sump Pumps

Many home owners with crawl spaces under their home who discover they get standing water in their crawl space after a heavy to moderate rain realize they must do something. Too often they make a decision to install just a sump pump and instantly they have a false sense of security. Yes it is true if your crawl space gets a foot of water at times a sump pump will prevent the crawl space from holding that much water as long as the pump works. Although a sump pump will lower the amount of water in the crawl space, what have you really accomplished? Let’s face it most sump pumps are installed close to the crawl space entry for maintenance purposes. So when the home owner opens the crawl space entry and sees 1-2 inches of water in places instead of a foot of water throughout the crawl space and sees the pump working they feel better. In truth a very damp crawl space is the same as a crawl space with a foot of standing water. They both produce 100% moisture in the crawl space air. This will then increase the moisture levels in the structural wood and will create an environment in the crawl space for wood destroying fungi growth and increased potential for mold growth in the living area above the crawl space. It is not the physical water that is doing the damage, but rather it is the amount of moisture in the air that is doing the damage. A very damp crawl space is the same as having a foot of water throughout the crawl space. If all the gutters are clean and the down spouts are draining away from the house properly with proper grade around the foundation and the crawl space still has standing water after a rain, the crawl space is most likely affected by a high water table. The only remedy in this case is a crawlspace drainage system. For best results the crawl space should also be encapsulated. Don’t be fooled by the Sump Pump only FALSE Sense of security. If you think you might need a drainage system, call 317-828-7897 for a free inspection or visit www.swaincollc.com

Crawl Space Insulation

Winter is here, and now is the time to start considering how best to insulate your crawl space. Especially if you are having issues with cold floors and cold rooms. A very common practice with Indiana crawl spaces is to use fiberglass insulation between the floor joist in the crawl space. Depending on the amount of water or moisture your crawl space gets, fiberglass insulation can sometimes do more harm than good. If your crawl space tends to get large amounts of water or moisture, fiberglass insulation will tend to work like a sponge. As the moisture rises with the natural air flow of the home (stack effect) it is absorbed in the fiberglass insulation. This will make the insulation much heavier allowing for a better chance of the fiberglass insulation to fall from the floor joist onto the crawl space floor. Moisture being trapped in the insulation also raises the concern for increased chance or wood rot. This is because the moisture is trapped in the insulation that is installed between your floor joist, increasing the moisture content of those floor joist. If your crawl space has very low amounts of water or moisture, than fiberglass insulation in the floor joist can be effective. Another form of insulation used commonly in Indiana crawl spaces is spray foam insulation. Spray foam insulation can be effective, but only if done on the foundation walls and not the structure wood elements. Spray foam insulation installed on the structure wood elements will allow moisture to be trapped between the spray foam and the structure wood. This will increase the chance of wood rot by a great amount. It will also make it very difficult to replace if it does rot because the spray foam will have to be removed. Foam board insulation on the foundation walls is a very good type of insulation to use in the crawl space. This type of insulation can be installed directly on the foundation walls. The seams can also be sealed with a waterproof tape. For more information on crawl space insulation or to find out if your crawl space needs insulation visit www.swaincollc.com or call 317-828-7897

DownSpout Extensions-Why and How

For many Indiana homeowners, extending your downspouts away from your home can have many benefits. Especially when installed correctly. One benefit of extending your downspouts away from your home is that it will greatly reduces your chance for potential foundation issues down the road. When downspouts are not extended the water is dumping usually right next to your foundation. This excess amount of water will expand, and erode soil around your foundation, which in return can cause structure foundation issues such as settling. Extending the downspouts can also help cut down on the amount of water or moisture that gets into your crawl space. As mentioned before, when not extended, downspouts allow large amounts of water to be dumped next to your homes foundation. This water can also tend to seep thru the foundation and into the crawl space. To give you an idea of the amount of water your downspouts can produce consider this. One inch of rain on a 1200 sq.ft. home produces about 750 gallons of water. That is a lot of water to be dumping right next to your homes foundation. Also you want to be sure that the downspout extensions your installing are done correctly. A few things to stay from when installing downspout extensions. First thing I would recommend would be to always use a solid form of pipe or tile to extend your downspouts, whether you extend them underground or above. I have seen many houses who have downspout extensions running into a perforated pipe or tile. This still allows the water to seep out next to the foundation. A solid pipe or tile will prevent this seepage from happening. Be sure to extend them far enough away so that the water isn't making its way back toward your foundation. As far as what type of solid pipe or tile to use really depends on your preference. I typically would recommend a solid 4" PVC type of pipe, such as a schedule 40. I recommend this because this type of downspout extension has a few more benefits than other forms of solid pipe, such as flex tile. Downspout extensions can tend to get clogged with roof debris and leaves. With a solid PVC type of downspout extension, they can easily be snaked to relive any type of clog. This is much harder with a solid flex tile. Also, if your downspout extension is going to be installed underground in an area where heavy equipment or cars may be crossing over, a solid PVC type of downspout extension proves to be much stronger as well. To find out more information on downspout extensions and other crawl space issues visit www.swaincollc.com

A Vapor Barrier Alone May Not Be Enough

When dealing with high levels of moisture coming from a crawl space, a simple 6mill vapor barrier may not be enough to reduces and eliminate those high levels of moisture. Here is a few reasons why. First we have to look at what is causing the high moisture levels in the crawl space. If standing water is an issue than installing a vapor barrier alone would do little if any to help the matter. In fact with out some type of drainage system and a pit/pump, a vapor barrier alone could possibly make things worse by allowing the water to sit on top of the barrier with no where to go but up into the living areas. If standing water is not an issue than more than likely you are getting the unwanted moisture in your crawl space from 3 possible areas. First would be the crawl space dirt floor. Moisture is always constantly coming out the dirt floor ground in you crawl space. This moisture than moves with the nature air flow of the home, which is from bottom to top, or what some refer to as stack effect. Stack effect is the reason we see moisture in the crawl space causing issues in the living area, such as mold, buckled or warped floors and even moisture on the windows. A simple 6mill vapor barrier laid across the entire crawl space floor will help keep moisture from the dirt crawl space floor from getting into your crawl space of the living areas of the home. The moisture is simple somewhat encapsulated under this barrier. But a 6mill vapor barrier is recommended to be installed a few inches away from the walls due to block seepage and it is not a complete seal of the dirt crawl space floor, so there are still areas that moisture may be able to come up through the dirt crawl space floor. Even with a vapor barrier we still have two other areas that moisture is able to get into your crawl space that a simple vapor barrier cannot address. The second area is the foundation walls. Whether they are block, poured, or stone, foundation walls tend to seep moisture. Although most homes built in the last 40 yrs would have some type of waterproof membrane on the exterior side of your foundation, these tend to not last very long. And areas that have a high water table can cause the seepage of moisture through your block walls to increase as well, adding to the unwanted high moisture levels in your crawl space. The last place your crawl space may be getting moisture from is your vents. Although they were intended to help keep you crawl space dry, they may in fact be doing the exact opposite. Consider this, on a hot humid day in the middle of the summer when your vents are to be open, the outside air has a large amount of moisture in it. When that air comes into your crawl space through vents your simply bringing all that moisture in with it. Not to mention if you have duct work in your crawl space this hot humid air is going to make them and pipes as well sweat, thus creating even more unwanted moisture in your crawl space. So to address all these areas that moisture comes from in your crawl space a simple 6mill vapor barrier may not be enough. The only sure way to permanently seal this outside moisture from getting into your crawl space would be a crawl space encapsulation system. To see more information on permanent crawl space solutions such as an encapsulation system visit www.swaincollc.com