It’s easy to forget about certain parts of your home. “Out of sight and out of mind,” right? When was the last time you went into your attic and actually looked around (not just to grab your holiday decorations)? When did you last rummage through that spare closet? Or how about perusing that dreaded crawl space area under the house?
Do you find yourself neglecting areas of your Hot Springs or Jacksonville home? If so, you might have some ventilation problems that could lead to even bigger troubles in your home. At Clark Exterminating, we understand how certain rooms or parts of your home can be overlooked. Avoiding these areas for too long can turn into a bug and/or fungus issue. Lucky for you, we know how to help!
Crawl Space
One of the main areas of your home that’s neglected is the crawl space. Although there are many advantages to having
a crawl space (instead of basements or slabs), there are a few disadvantages that are important to know.
A crawl space can be hard to properly ventilate. Improper ventilation can cause moisture to build up, thus creating bug problems. Addressing crawl space issues now can prevent future damage and help reduce problems with fungus. Fungus can easily grow in this space and impact the air quality inside your house.
The first step to fixing a ventilation problem in your crawl space is to reduce the moisture in and around it.
You can do this in several different ways, such as:
• Fans
• Dehumidifiers
• Vents
• French drains
• Gutters
French drains and gutters can be used to pull water away from the crawl space. A French drain is a trench filled with gravel or rock or a perforated pipe that redirects surface water and groundwater away from an area. Proper ventilation cannot always be accomplished in a crawl space; if that’s the case plastic sheeting should be installed.
Vapor Barrier
Clark Exterminating can help create a vapor barrier with plastic sheeting or Visqueen on the floor of the crawl space. If fungus is already present in the crawl space on wood, a chemical treatment is necessary (in addition to fixing the actual moisture problem). In the majority of cases, Visqueen and a chemical treatment will take care of a fungus and moisture problem.
We also recommend removal of insulation from subfloors; this insulation isn’t necessary and prevents us from performing a proper inspection.
Our team at Clark Exterminating can determine the severity of your fungus and moisture problem and what steps can be taken to best ventilate that area. Contact us at (501) 725-0614 in our Little Rock office or (501) 776-1388 in Benton. If you need treatment of fungus, insulation removal or installing a vapor barrier, we are happy to help so your crawl space isn’t neglected anymore.
