Air enters through ducts that allow air from the crawl space to mix with air in the house or by the stack effect, which pulls air from the crawl space to the upper floors.

As much as half of the air on the first floor of your home comes from the crawl space. If your house smells musty, you might have mold in your crawl space. Here’s an overview of common crawl space issues and how to fix them. While crawl spaces have many advantages, they can have their problems, too. Source: (Svineyard / ShutterStock) Potential problems in the crawl space Unfortunately, these vents can let moisture in, causing many of the crawl space issues we’ll touch on below.

Usually unheated, a crawl space may be ventilated to permit airflow through the crawlspace. The resulting space between the home’s first floor and the ground allows people to crawl underneath the house - hence, the name - to access the plumbing, HVAC, electrical, insulation, and even floorboards for maintenance.Ī crawl space is less expensive than a basement because it requires less excavation and material for the foundation walls.

What is a crawl space?Ī crawl space is a type of foundation that features short walls no taller than 4 feet. This space beneath your home can be the foundation for its success or the groundwork for its problems - here’s what you need to know. That’s on top of about 27 million existing homes built on crawl spaces. In the U.S., roughly 15% to 20% of new homes are built on crawl spaces.

Dead animal rot in your crawl space