Standing Water

Staining and mildew growth in a crawl space can result in a variety of health risks, including the development of mold and mildew. Mold and mildew can also cause rot and structural damage to a home's structure, among other things. Buying a house with standing water in the crawl space is a risky proposition. Additionally, you should look for mold in the structure if you plan to live there for a long period of time.

Standing water in your crawl space is normal, but what about a puddle?

While a small amount of moisture in your crawl space is normal, especially if you live in a humid climate or a region that receives a significant amount of rainfall each year, it is not a good idea to allow it to remain there for an extended period of time if at all possible to prevent mold growth.

In the event that there is standing water in my crawl space, what should I do next?

To remove water from your crawl space with a pump, place the pump's suction hose in the floodwater while directing the pump's draining hose away from the house. As soon as the drainage hose is turned on, the water should be discharged far enough away from the house so that it cannot be redirected back into the crawl space.

Standing water in a crawl space can indicate a number of different things.

Standing water in your crawl space may indicate that you have a clogged low-point drain in your crawl space that needs to be cleaned out. If this is the case, contact a professional to have it cleaned out. In a properly functioning drain, the water contained within it passes through the pipe and is discharged into the street.

Was there any standing water in the crawl space prior to your arrival?

It is most often caused by one of three things: a plumbing leak, seepage from the surrounding soil (which occurs most frequently after a heavy rain), or condensation in the crawl space. When crawl space humidity hits cold surfaces such as ductwork, it condenses and drips onto the crawl space floor, causing a puddle.

It appears that having water in the crawl space after a rainstorm is standard practice.

Water under the house is not uncommon after a heavy rain, especially if the weather has been particularly wet. An ideal situation would have been for the home to have been constructed with a positive drain that directed water toward the lowest corner of the crawl space. If water does manage to find its way into the crawl space, it should be able to drain away or evaporate within a short period of time after entering.