Crawl Space Leaks

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What Crawl Space Leaks Are and What to Do About Them

The crawl space in your house is unused and out of the way. Unfortunately, this means leaks in the crawl space can go unnoticed for weeks or longer, with disastrous water damage outcomes.

But why can that happen, and how do crawl space leaks even occur? 

What Causes Crawl Space Leaks?

Water in the crawl space can be a pretty serious problem. Before we look at problems that could occur after a crawl space leak, let’s see how these happen. 

1. Improper Grading for Surface water

If your home isn’t properly graded, water can get trapped against the foundation. Water may find its way into the crawl space if this occurs during a flash flooding or torrential rainstorm. 

Furthermore, if this water gets high enough, it can turn the vents of your crawl space into spouts for more water to find its way in. 

2. Foundation Cracks and Gaps

A house settles as it ages. While this process is common in all homes, it sometimes causes cracks or damage to the foundation. 

Any cracks and gaps that develop during this process make it possible for water to seep into the crawl space. 

3. Water and Sewer Line Malfunction

Our homes have vast volumes of water flowing in and out every day. In via water pipes and out via sewer lines. Water heaters are also connected through different lines to the municipal water source. 

If any of these lines get damaged or clogged, the line can send a tremendous amount of water into your house without you even realizing it. 

If this happens on lines in the crawl space, you will have a damp or flooded area.

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Dangers of Crawl Space Leaks

Water in the crawl space is never good and should be remedied immediately. Unfortunately, the position of a crawl space does not make it easy to detect leaks. 

However, any ignored, unnoticed, and untreated crawl space leaks will cause some structural and aesthetic damage to your property. These include the following:

Mold

Mold is a nasty, harmful fungus that spreads quickly under the right conditions. Leaks in your crawl space make the already dark space musky, damp, and warm- all conditions perfect for mold to thrive.

Mold is unsightly, so you can be guaranteed your house’s aesthetics will take a hit. But that’s not your biggest problem. 

Mold can be toxic and creates multiple hazards, including respiratory infections, breathing problems, and chronic lung problems. 

Mold can also grow on and damage your home’s sheetrock, paint, and other structural elements. 

Wooden Beams Damage

If water is allowed to sit on the wooden support beams around your crawl space for too long, it begins to damage the wood. 

Once water is left in contact with the wood for too long, the wood begins absorbing the water. This can cause the wooden beams to warp or expand, causing uneven floors. In worst-case scenarios, water damage in the crawl space can lead to rotting wood. This severely compromises the structural integrity of your property and is very expensive to fix.

Need help with crawl space water damage repair? Call Vetted Los Angeles Restorations today!

(213) 657-5656

Foundation Cracks

Aside from wood, crawl spaces also have concrete walls and pillars. While concrete appears quite solid, it acts like a sponge by absorbing and soaking up water. As the concrete ages, it becomes porous and softer, meaning it can absorb more water. 

When this happens, the concrete expands and contracts, causing cracks to form. If this situation goes unchecked long enough, you get severe damage to your foundation, and the house could collapse.

Pests

Crawl space water attracts a variety of pests, including termites and rodents. Being in an out-of-the-way space, these have all the leeway to form colonies undisturbed. Termites eat away at the wood, making you the foundation of your home, and if they are at it long enough, the wood will be significantly weakened and might collapse, taking your house or parts of it down. 

Rodents like mice and rats will, with time, find their way into your house, bringing in diseases and altering your air quality. 

(213) 657-5656

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Crawl Space Water Damage Repair

One sure way to stay ahead of crawl space leaks is to inspect your crawl space often and have any problems handled professionally by our partners. 

The best outcome after water damage is to have your home cleaned up and restored to what it was before the incident. That’s exactly what the partners Vetted Los Angeles Restorations works with do day in and day out. Have you suffered water damage? Call us today, and let’s get you sorted out in no time.

We can help with:

When it comes to water damage specifically, our partners can not only restore crawl space water damage but also burst pipes, basement water damage, appliance leaks, sewage backupsroofing leaks, and other types of water damage.

(213) 657-5656

Our Services Areas

Besides Los Angeles, we also cover:

  • Gardena
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  • Diamond Bar
  • Huntington Park
  • Paramount
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  • Rancho Palos Verdes
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