Today I am writing about the infiltration of water in the home. How does it happen and what can be done about it? What are some of the problems associated with infiltration and moisture in the home? Who can you trust when you reach out to so called professionals to help you figure this mess out? Will they all lie to get the most out of your wallet? Lots of questions right from the beginning eh?
Infiltration has benefits associated with it as well as major issues. The stack effect plays a part in the ventilation of the home. So how does it work? Good question! I could really go into major details about the stack effect, but you’d probably just click away from being bored to death. The stack effect in your homes deals with the ventilation from the bottom of the home to the top.
If you take a look at your house, you will see vents leading into the bottom of the home and vents on the roof. What are they for and why do you really need them?
In the old days of home building, we thought the home needed to be ventilated and some engineer decided on the stack effect. Basically, air flows into the crawl space of the house, it heats up an rises. The thought and truth of the matter is that the heat rises up through the home and into the attic where if it is not ventilated out, will stagnate there. You with me so far?
When you look at the roof, you will see vents all along the peak. It is said in the stack effect that you will need equal vents at the top and bottom of the home. This is not necessarily true (long story). Logically though, it sounds good right? Anyway, the stack effect is nothing more that air flow into the home and leaving the home. Will this keep your home colder in winter and hotter in summer? Yes!
Why yes? Well, if you look at most homes, you will see insulation under the house right? The reason for that is to help stop the cold air from coming into the home from the vents in the crawl space. Have you ever seen fiberglass insulation? Blow through it and you will quickly see that the air blows right through it. Insulating the crawl space is a complete waste of time! That is why encapsulation is now the new craze. That is for another article some other day!
But, to get you to understand this article, we need to talk about it just a bit. Here is the down and dirty: you want to keep out everything in the crawl space because it will all eventually rise up into your home and attic! That is where moisture comes into this article. Moisture and the enemies that show up can absolutely destroy your home!
So, how do you stop moisture? Most times, you can look under the home and you will see plastic lining the floor of the crawl space. This is what is called a barrier to stop moisture from entering the crawl space. Most times though, this barrier is scattered and many areas of the crawl space are completely open to the ground. In most cases, the earth is dry and you are one lucky individual!
Moisture and water always has a way of finding a path into your crawl space! Heavy rains and high water tables can bring water into the crawl space. Or can they? Most generally, this is an absolute lie according to those encapsulating contractors out there. They say that the water enters your home via the rain gutters and the back-fill drainage system around the entire home. It also enters the home via the wood molds, cleats and other seams in the foundation.
They are right about this, but I also believe that water can and will come into the crawl space by heavy rains and high water tables. Water flows downhill and if you are in its path, it will either go around or under. The reason I believe this is because I’ve seen it! Now, the pro’s are right about the entry points. The can come into the crawl space from all sides and directions and you will have to figure out the best way to prevent the water from coming in.
Most encapsulation pro’s say to just allow the flow to go through. They will tell you to dig a drainage system to allow the water to flow and then they will sell you humidifiers and sump pump systems. Some of these systems are quite elaborate to say the least! They are correct in saying you need to completely seal the crawl space from the ground! However, I think to prevent air from entering the space is a recipe for other problems that could make us sick in our homes. I’m getting a bit sidetracked…
I think that you should not have to create drainage and build elaborate systems to prevent water. All you have to do is stop the water from getting in through all those seams and entry points I talked about earlier. For that, you need to find where the water is coming in. Once you find where water is entering, you can then develop a plan to divert the water away from the house. Irrigation can help many problems in home.
The enemies associated with water are many and all of them will inevitably destroy your home. You have the water itself which will shift your home, sink it or cause it to slide off the foundation. Water also brings in wood destroying insects. They love wet wood! Rodents will also enter the home and they will nest in your insulation, plastic and what ever else you have in the crawl space.
One of the biggest problems you will experience is mold! Mold develops from moisture in the crawl space and then the stack effect will carry mold spores up into the house and in the attic too. This situation will cause all kinds of problems with you and your family. You will experience continuous sickness and that is where this article will end. I will write another article on mold and the problems you will have when it infiltrates your home.
Please let me know what you think about this article and if you have anything to add, please comment below!