Every spring and summer, Chicagoland residents must endure copious amounts of rain. This year was no exception, with the highest ever recorded amount of rain for the month of May.
Many of our customers are experiencing pooling and even flooding conditions in their typically dry crawl spaces, causing them to need a crawl space repair. We are always asked why all of a sudden water is showing up under our customers’ homes. Here are some typical causes of excess water and how it can be controlled.
- Foundation Cracks and Holes
Water is a very small molecule. When a foundation cracks it is usually during the initial curing of the foundation in the first five years. Rebar inside holds the crack from excessive widening, but water will find its way through at some point. Repairs are best performed from the inside using an expanding urethane grout material, referred to as “honey.”
- Hydrostatic Pressure
This shows up in many different locations such as next to the footings or the base of the foundation. Keep in mind that while you were asleep during the rain, that water may have traveled to low spots in the dirt of gravel crawlspace. Sometimes, old exterior drain tiles that were installed during construction are now filled or crushed. As these begin to fail, the water will pressure below the footings and come into the next easiest path – your giant hole in the ground – your crawlspace! When this happens there can be a lot of water, meaning you need to get your crawl space repaired. The best option for repair is likely a perimeter drain tile system that runs to a sump pit to be pumped back outside.
- Over the Foundation
Exterior grade and water pooling can result in occasional water coming into the crawlspace. This problem might be hard to spot, but the damage can be tremendous. The wood construction of the entire house sits on sill plates that can rot quite easily when around water. Fixing water over the foundation needs to be done from the outside, often using sprayed Polyurea to permanently protect this high-risk area.
- Moisture from an Exposed Crawlspace
Water vapor is constantly being drawn into the crawlspace air environment. Even when the ground or gravel looks dry, there will be high humidity. The only repair we feel that is appropriate is to permanently seal the ground with a seamless sprayed liner such as the Nu-Crawl System.
Luckily, there is finally a permanent way to seal your crawlspace and keep the nasty odors and potential damage from affecting your largest investment. Contact the professionals at Nu-Crawl to get started on your crawl space repair!
