Dirty crawl space under large building

How to Handle a Flooded Crawl Space

It’s a home owner’s nightmare: opening your crawl space to find standing water and flooding. Water in your crawl space can lead to mold and mildew, and rot that can compromise the integrity of your home’s foundation. It also invites pests like termites and rodents leaving you open to health hazards and structural damage.

If you’ve experienced crawl space flooding, it’s critical to address the problem right away to avoid these longer-term issues. We’ll walk you through the important steps to dry out the area under your home and prevent future problems.

5 Steps to Effectively Treat a Flooded Crawl Space

There are a few important steps to take if you’re dealing with a flooded crawl space. These steps will go a long way to ensure your safety, address the damage, and prevent future flooding incidents.

  1. Assess the Situation Safely: When there’s water in your crawl space is it imperative to turn off any electricity in the area before inspection. As you inspect the situation, do your best to avoid direct contact with standing water to prevent exposure to waterborne illnesses.
  2. Remove the Water: Once you’ve assessed the situation, the next step is to remove the water. Minor flooding can be taken care of with a sump pump or wet/dry vacuum. For more extensive flooding, we recommend calling a professional who has access to powerful tools and experience to deal with larger jobs.
  3. Dry Out Your Crawl Space: Unwanted moisture is the enemy of crawl spaces everywhere as it promotes mold growth, rot, and pests. Once you’ve removed standing water, it’s important to thoroughly dry out your crawl space. First, remove any soaked debris and insulation. Next, employ a mix of fans and dehumidifier to remove water from the environment.
  4. Clean and Inspect the Area: After drying out your crawl space, it’s time to look for signs of structural damage, weakened beams, compromised insulation, or mold and pests. We recommend performing a thorough visual inspection and consider applying a mold-killing cleaning solution to your surfaces.
  5. Prevent Future Flooding: You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste by another flooding incident, which is why prevention is key. Check your gutters, downspouts, and grading around your home to ensure they are functioning optimally. Next consider waterproofing by sealing entry points where water can seep inside and install a vapor barrier to create a waterproof layer between the earth and your home.

When to Call a Crawl Space Professional

Crawl space flooding can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to quickly find yourself in over your head. When trying to determine whether or not to take a DIY approach, consider these factors:

  • Was flooding the result of an unusual extreme weather event?
  • Was the flooding and damage minimal or extensive?
  • Does your crawl space typically stay dry, or are you struggling with ongoing moisture problems?

If your crawl space typically stays dry and you’ve experienced minimal flooding and damage, you may be able to handle the cleanup yourself. If, on the other hand, you find yourself facing extensive flooding and damage on top of ongoing moisture problems, it’s time to call in the professionals.

When you hire a professional crawl space care company, you’re not just addressing the immediate issue, you’re investing in long-term solutions that will improve the quality of your home, energy efficiency, air-quality, and peace of mind. A trustworthy company will always offer a free inspection and estimate so you know exactly what solutions you need to have a clean, dry crawl space that protects against mold, mildew, pests, and structural damage.

Request a Free, No-Obligation Crawl Space Inspection

At CrawlSpace Care, we’ve helped hundreds of homeowners in the Roanoke region clean up damage from crawl space flooding and turn their crawl space into a clean, dry environment through our crawl space repair and encapsulation services. We offer free, no-obligation inspections and an estimate to get you started. If you need professional help with your crawl space, give us a call to schedule your free inspection today.