2. Secondary Moisture Problems

Mold and Mildew 

Wherever high levels of humidity flourish, you’ll also find a lot of mold and mildew. Unfortunately, mold and mildew tend to thrive in levels of humidity higher than 60-70%. If your crawl space has a level of humidity that’s that high or higher, it’s very common to see a significant amount of mold and mildew in the crawl space.

Remember that if you have condensation in any area of the crawl space, you might end up with mold and mildew too. Even if certain areas don’t have high levels of moisture, mold and mildew can grow around individual moisture droplets. That’s why it’s important to handle crawl space condensation at the source.

Destroyed Insulation

Whenever water gets into insulation, it essentially ruins the insulation’s ability to function. Think about it this way: You wouldn’t put on a wet coat, so why would you use a “wet coat” for your walls or pipes? Water destroys insulation and makes it so the insulation no longer works, at least until you replace it with new insulation.

This destroyed insulation can be very frustrating to handle, especially because many people don’t even realize they have insulation that’s destroyed. You could be wasting money on your home’s heating and cooling system because your insulation in the crawl space doesn’t work, which means your home’s essentially unable to keep itself warm or cold.

Wood Rot

Wood rot is a type of fungus that can be similar to mold and mildew, but it attacks areas of your home very differently. If your home’s suffering from wood rot, you could have bouncy, sagging, soft wood in the crawl space. At extreme levels, wood rot can even cause your home to collapse, although it takes a very long time for this to happen.

The thing is, wood rot also thrives in very high humidity, and it’s incredibly difficult to remove once it’s sprouted in your home. The best way to avoid wood rot and avoid the significant expense that comes from having it in your home is to make sure you avoid condensation in the first place. That’s how you make sure your home doesn’t end up with wood concerns in general.