Hello All,
I am having moisture problems in my crawl space. I did not notice this until about a week ago and to the best of my knowledge this is the first time that this problem has appeared. We did have a torrential rain just prior my noticing small pools of standing water under the house on the vapor barrier (low end only). The house is maybe 9 months old so I had my builder come over to check things out. He is saying that it is condensation from the A/C (we did turn the A/C on in about a week ago also). The vapor barrier does have “dew” over most of the surface. The yard does have a few drainage issues but they are directed away from the house with the exception of under the deck where the water flows by about 6 feet away.
I guess what I am asking is:
1. What ill effects will the moisture cause over time? I am already noticing mold and rust.
2. Is condensation to be expected? My old house had a gas pack so everything was outside.
2. Is there a fix? Some kind of mechanical ventilation?
3. What is my builders responsibility? I am in central NC.
Thanks,
Tom
Replies
Bump
Try to determine exactly where the water's coming from.
If it is condensation from the AC itself, then the AC drain line is clogged or has a leak in it or some such -- the AC drain line should empty outside the perimeter of the foundation somewhere.
If you have heating/cooling ductwork inside the crawlspace, however, you could be getting condensation on that. If this is the case you're wasting a lot of money down there and need to get the ductwork insulated.
The "dew" on the vapor barrier is likely on the bottom (earth) side and doesn't indicate a problem.
The amount of moisture you describe, by itself, isn't likely to cause long-term problems, but whatever's causing it could cause problems and needs to be fixed.
Dan,
The dew was on the top of the vapor barrier but it has since gone. I guess it must have been due to the high humidity that we were having and the pooling that I described is gone as well. I will just keep an eye out for any more moisture, particularly if we get another typhoon pass thru.
Thanks,
Tom
I live in Chapel Hill, and had the same problem. I sealed all the foundation vents and put in a dehumidifier...that took care of it.
Next house is having a conditioned crawl space<G>