Mold in crawlspace in Bismarck, AR
Challenge
Craig W from Bismarck, AR has lived in his house for 15 years, Craig stated that he has never had an issue with his crawl space. However, now he noticed a musty smell coming from his crawl space. He didn't think much of it until he went to grab shoes out of his closet one more and noticed mold covering his shoes. At this point, Craig realized that it is time to call the leading experts at Crawl Space Solutions of Arkansas to solve his issue.
Solution
Understanding how mold works are the key to understanding how to properly treat and prevent them in your crawlspace. So let’s go over the basics…
Mold is a type of fungi that scientifically, is neither plant nor animal. Unlike plants, mold is lacking chlorophyll and cannot derive energy from the sun. Therefore, mold is an opportunistic organism, routinely dispatching its spores through the air, always seeking a habitable environment for reproduction and growth. Once it has located the few requirements it needs to thrive - water, food source, and warm temperatures, mold can begin to grow remarkably fast, sometimes within 24-48 hours.
The open or unfinished crawlspace is probably one of the most convenient areas for mold to flourish. Since mold does not require sunlight to grow, it tends to prefer these dark, moist areas of the home. Spores can enter through the open vents, and enjoy a banquet of organic materials to feed on, including the many materials that make up your home. So how does the moisture get in? Here are the biggest contributing factors that allow moisture to intrude on the crawlspace.
Condensation:
Originally, building code required the crawlspace to be ventilated to use outside air as the main source of moisture control. The theory was to allow an outlet for excess moisture to evaporate. Unfortunately, in some areas of the country (especially the southeast), ventilation can actually make a mold problem much worse. This is because the air inside the crawlspace tends to be much cooler than the outside air. In warmer months, this becomes problematic due to the fact that warmer air is constantly flowing into the ventilated crawlspace. Basic science tells us that when warm moist air comes in contact with cooler air, the warm air cools, releasing moisture in the form of condensation. This continuous source of moisture, humid temperatures, and a steady food source (the building materials in your home), creates the perfect environment for mold/mildew to flourish.
Penetrating Damp:
Even the encapsulated or “closed” crawlspace can be affected by penetrating damp. This is simply moisture that has made its way into your crawlspace from another source including plumbing leaks, walls, even from mechanical or HVAC failures within or above the crawlspace
