The first thing to do after discovering you have water into your crawl space is to find what is causing the water to get in. The smallest bit of water can cause damage to your property as well as your health if mold begins to grow.
In addition, You may find puddles of water or just damp walls or water trickles from up above. Since any case of water on your crawl space can be a critical problem, inspect the following to determine if these are the source of this unwanted water.
Poor Landscape Drainage
When heavy rain falls, the ground can’t always absorb it all, causing puddles that can get up against the house and go through the crawl space. Puddling can be made worse if your landscape doesn’t have the proper drainage system.
For example, maybe you live near a mountain where all the water comes puddling around your home. To fix this, you would need slopes or graded property to direct the water away from your home.
Missing or Defective Gutters and Downspouts
Gutters and downspouts are designed to direct rainfall away from your home by collecting the water and sending it elsewhere. Otherwise, the rain will gather all around the perimeter of your home and end up on your crawl space or basement.
Flooding issues can arise if you don’t have gutters or downspouts or even if they are clogged. If your downspouts don’t direct water at least four feet away from your home, you need to think about replacing them for a more effective defense against rain and flooding.
Defective Window Wells
Crawl spaces typically will have a window or small vent outside the home and are designed to prevent water from entering. If the window or vent was designed badly or defective in some way, you could find that rainwater is pouring directly into your crawl space. Keep an eye on these windows or vents next time it rains to determine if any water may be getting through.
Broken Water Lines or Water Heater
Plumbing is often a cause of any flooding in a home as they can potentially lead to broken water lines. Water lines and your water heater are continually sending water through to a own sinks, toilet, and other plumbing fixtures. If anything is broken or worn out from the process, a leak may be sending water straight to your crawl space.
Sanitary Sewer Backups
In instances of heavy rain, sewer systems can sometimes get overwhelmed to the point of not being able to handle all the incoming water and sewage. The rain can cause sewers to back up and come up through the drains. The same can also happen if the sewage gets clogged.
How Do I Get Rid of Water Inside My Crawl Space?
Getting rid of the water isn’t your main concern, but rather fixing whatever caused it to get there in the first place. For instance, maybe your gutters were the problem. Cleaning them out can prevent water from collecting on your crawl space and the water will dry up by itself.
If the problem is with your plumbing, then a Long Beach Plumber can locate the issue and have it repaired before the water continues to get worse. If it’s a lot of water that could take a while to go away, a sump pump can take care of the immediate problem but might only be a temporary solution. Your very best option is to locate the cause and fix it.