Solutions for Crawl Space Moisture Control

Crawl area moisture management is a continuing fear for individuals dwelling in high-humidity areas.

Moisture in your crawl area can result in larger dwelling issues, like warped floorboards and mildew, so it’s necessary to maintain it beneath management.

Examine for Drainage Points

Generally pure groundwater migrates up into your property, and different instances there’s a drainage difficulty you won’t concentrate on that may very well be contributing to your crawl area moisture.

Flowerbeds and different landscaping can find yourself damming rainwater and routing it beneath the home. Subsequent time it’s raining, put in your rain gear and go searching to see the place that water goes when it comes off the roof or by way of your downspouts in your gutters. 

Encourage the water to maneuver away from the home by redirecting your downspouts.

Lay Down Plastic

When you don’t discover any drainage points, the moisture may very well be coming out of your heating and cooling unit. When your air conditioner or warmth is working, it may well pull moisture into cracks and crevices. 

The best and least costly technique to management moisture in your crawl area is to put down a bit of plastic proper on the bottom. A 6-mil plastic sheet will present an satisfactory moisture barrier in your crawlspace.

Anchor the plastic sheet with gravel, rocks or bricks to stop it from blowing in case your crawlspace is open. This can hold floor moisture from migrating up into the home.

Open Up the Airflow

The extra air you will get beneath your crawl area, the moisture management you’ll have. You should definitely hold any bushes and grass close to your crawlspace well-trimmed so that they don’t block the airflow. You may as well attempt putting in an electrical basis vent to blow air out.  

In case your crawlspace is closed and you’ve got basis vents, these ought to keep open on a regular basis to permit the breeze to blow by way of. 

Skip to [7:19] for the complete phase on the Right now’s House owner Podcast.

Additionally on this episode:

• Swapping a Tub and Bathe Areas
• Soil Combos for Flower Gardens
• Coping with Condensation in a Tiny Dwelling
• Decreasing Mud When Sawing Concrete

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Easy Options

Submitting System for Proprietor’s Guide — Right here’s a fast, environment friendly technique to set up proprietor’s manuals for all of your instruments. Slightly than storing all of the manuals in a single field or drawer, place every one in a zip-lock plastic bag. Then, clip collectively the person baggage with a binder clip and dangle them a nail above your workbench. You may even set up every group of luggage into separate classes, equivalent to moveable energy instruments, hand instruments and equipment, stationary equipment, and garden and backyard instruments. The baggage hold the manuals clear and you’ll simply see by way of the luggage to seek out the guide you’re in search of. 

Quick Furnishings Meeting — Assembling equipment furnishings usually requires using a hex-key wrench, also referred to as an Allen wrench, which is painfully gradual. Right here’s the right way to velocity up the method: Safe the hex-key wrench in a vise and minimize off the shorter finish of the wrench with a hacksaw or grinder. Then, chuck the lengthy straight part right into a cordless drill. Modify the drill’s torque setting to the bottom quantity, and drive within the fasteners in mere seconds.

Query of the Week

Q: We simply purchased a 1,200-square-foot condominium that was in-built 2010. It has popcorn ceilings all through, that are in completely good condition. I don’t actually thoughts the popcorn, however my spouse hates it. Can I take away the popcorn myself or ought to I rent a contractor? 

A: To take away a popcorn ceiling, spray the ceiling with a mixture of cloth softener and scorching water in a pump-up sprayer. As soon as it’s softened, you should utilize a Homax Ceiling Texture Scraper to take away the popcorn. You should definitely lay down plastic drop cloths to gather the popcorn chunks. You may as well clip on a rubbish bag on the scraper to gather the popcorn as you’re scraping. Let it dry and repair any divots with joint compound earlier than you prime and paint the ceiling. Different options to scraping are masking the popcorn ceiling with drywall or a floor mount. 
(Observe: Any popcorn ceiling put in earlier than 1970 may comprise asbestos, so buy an asbestos check equipment to see if it incorporates asbestos.)

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