Bad Odor In Your Home? Your Crawl space Could be the Culprit Denver, NC

Do you have a bad odor in your home? You may have tried everything to get rid of the smell from ventilating your home to burning incense and cleaning everything from top to bottom. However, the odor remains and may even be getting stronger. There’s one thing left to do: look in your crawl space.

How Your Crawl space Affects your home

Many people will not think of their crawl space when their homes are filled with bad odors. The crawl space is one of those spaces that is easily forgotten in the home. However, the truth is that it is in fact one of the most important spaces in the home.

The truth is that the state of your crawl space affects the rest of your home. The air within the crawl space enters the house above through a process known as the stack effect. This is where air in the crawl space rises into the house to replace warm air that moves out of the home through the attic and upper parts of the home. This movement of air means that odors in your crawl space are carried into your home.

Causes of Odors in Crawl spaces

Crawlspace odors can be the result of various things including:

1. Rodent infestations It isn’t uncommon for crawl spaces to become the home of rodents. This is especially if you have not invested in crawl space waterproofing or do not maintain your waterproofing system. Rodents love dark and humid spaces for breeding. That odor of urine is often the first sign that you’re dealing with a rodent infestation.
2. Soil gases Another source of odors in a crawl space is soil gases. This odor may occur even after crawl space waterproofing. The odor may rise from beneath the vapor barrier that encapsulates the crawl space and enters the home. Soil gases may be the result of exposed sewage, naturally occurring gases in the soil or even bacteria trapped in between the plastic sheet forming the crawl space encapsulation and the top of the soil.
3. Mold Mold is one of the most common causes of odors in crawl spaces. Mold grows in humid and damp crawl spaces. They can also occur in a crawl space that has been encapsulated if the waterproofing was not properly or if the homeowner fails to carry out regular maintenance of the space.

If you notice an odor in your home and suspect that your crawl space may be responsible, get in touch with a crawl space waterproofing contractor to resolve the problem.

Contact the Professionals at DryWorx Waterproofing Today! 980-737-7727