An area of the home that is most often neglected for home repair and maintenance is the crawl space. A crawl space is usually located at the lowest level of the home and serves as a quasi-basement for homes that do not possess them. They usually are home to a houses electrical, plumbing, and air conditioning duct work. To prevent water damage to this area and fixtures waterproofing crawl space areas is of the utmost importance to avoid having to make major repairs.
One of the drawbacks to finishing a crawl space is the fact that there is usually a limited amount of room to maneuver down there. Leaving a person only a few feet work will make this process a bit trickier but just remember to keep your head down and don’t be afraid to get a little dirty. Waterproofing this area of the home should be based around three overlapping concepts that include exterior, ground penetration, and waterproofing walls.
When dealing with exterior types of repair, the grade of dirt surrounding the home and the slope of the ground is vital. Always try to make ground in a downward sloping fashion so that water drains away from the house and does not stagnate near it. This is important for keeping basements as well as a crawl space dry. Another component is to ensure that all downspouts drain far enough away from the home.
The next thing to consider is the ground penetration component to a person’s property. This simply means putting protective covers down over the sand, dirt, or concrete found in the crawl space. This will protect everything that is placed on top of it. Glue a plastic tarp like material from wall to wall to prevent valuables stored here as well as the vital systems that run a house from getting wet.
Finally, as in waterproofing a basement, wall treatment is the last line of defense when trying to protect this small area. Make sure the walls are stripped and ready for installation of a rubber polymer that can be painted on the walls of this room. Add at least two coats to the walls and make sure they dry correctly so leaks do not spring up from unknown cracks in the foundation.
Waterproofing crawl space areas in the home, especially when they are underground can save a person on a variety of repairs that if left unchecked could cause thousands of dollars. Protective measures centering on exterior, ground penetration, and waterproofing walls should be taken care of first. However, if all else fails adding sump pump is also always a good idea.
One of the drawbacks to finishing a crawl space is the fact that there is usually a limited amount of room to maneuver down there. Leaving a person only a few feet work will make this process a bit trickier but just remember to keep your head down and don’t be afraid to get a little dirty. Waterproofing this area of the home should be based around three overlapping concepts that include exterior, ground penetration, and waterproofing walls.
When dealing with exterior types of repair, the grade of dirt surrounding the home and the slope of the ground is vital. Always try to make ground in a downward sloping fashion so that water drains away from the house and does not stagnate near it. This is important for keeping basements as well as a crawl space dry. Another component is to ensure that all downspouts drain far enough away from the home.
The next thing to consider is the ground penetration component to a person’s property. This simply means putting protective covers down over the sand, dirt, or concrete found in the crawl space. This will protect everything that is placed on top of it. Glue a plastic tarp like material from wall to wall to prevent valuables stored here as well as the vital systems that run a house from getting wet.
Finally, as in waterproofing a basement, wall treatment is the last line of defense when trying to protect this small area. Make sure the walls are stripped and ready for installation of a rubber polymer that can be painted on the walls of this room. Add at least two coats to the walls and make sure they dry correctly so leaks do not spring up from unknown cracks in the foundation.
Waterproofing crawl space areas in the home, especially when they are underground can save a person on a variety of repairs that if left unchecked could cause thousands of dollars. Protective measures centering on exterior, ground penetration, and waterproofing walls should be taken care of first. However, if all else fails adding sump pump is also always a good idea.
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