Drainage Matting

You might wonder why you need to invest time and energy into keeping your crawl space dry in the first place. Mostly, this is a health and safety risk. Ensuring that your crawl space remains sanitary is important for the health of your family.

• Water Damage

Water damage can develop from repeated exposures to water. There are many ways that water can impact your home’s structure, including both waterlogging and the growth of fungus.

Supports and floor joists can be impacted by this excessive moisture if wood rot spawns. Wood rot readily devours wood, and left alone, it can compromise your home’s structural integrity. Your insulation is also at risk of mold and mildew if it isn’t made from a resistant material.

• Air Quality

Crawl spaces infected with wood rot, mold, or mildew will also lead to a change in indoor air quality. These organisms spread by releasing spores. As the humid air rises into the home, these spores are carried up as well.

Issues with air quality can impact the comfort and well-being of your family, especially if they have allergies. Plus, it can cause mold and mildew to grow in the rest of the home as well.

Drainage matting installation isn’t overly complicated, although it can be a tiring process in a very cramped space. Still, you shouldn’t try to install drainage matting on your own, as it might not work well.

• The Difficulties of Self-Installation

Probably the biggest reason you should avoid installing drainage matting yourself is that it’s difficult. You’ve probably never done this, which means you probably don’t really know how.

A somewhat tricky part of the installation with potential consequences is when the matting isn’t cut to the correct size. Should the drainage matting not cover the crawl space’s floor completely, it won’t drain water away effectively.

• Reasons to Trust an Expert

A cost-saving enterprise can result in more costs down the line. When it comes to installing drainage matting, you should just leave it to the professionals.

If you’re thinking about installing drainage matting in your home, there’s no reason to delay. Contact Groundworks to get more information about drainage matting installation from the experts.

Drainage matting itself won’t deter pests. However, there are things you can do with drainage matting that will reduce the interest of your crawl space to pests. That can be immensely helpful if you have recurring pest problems.

• Drainage Matting Effects

In removing water from the crawl space, pests won’t be drawn to a reliable source of water. Certain pests, like cockroaches, need humid environments to survive. Depriving them of such an environment keeps them away from your crawl space and home.

If you already have pests in your crawl space, you need to talk to an exterminator first. Once the pests are gone, the drainage matting can remove the humid environment and water, keeping them away for good.

• Ensuring Efficacy With Maintenance

To maximize your drainage matting’s usefulness, you need to maintain it. The biggest signs that drainage matting needs to be repaired are visible puddles of water and damp, musty odors. You may even be able to hear or feel the water sloshing between the lining and the matting.

Trapped water will eventually start to evaporate and create a damp crawl space, which will cause humidity levels to rise. The smells associated with trapped moisture, like mold and mildew, will also move up into the home.

A drainage matting solution in your crawl space can be immensely effective in removing water problems. However, you shouldn’t assume that it’ll be enough to protect your crawl space. The amount of protection drainage matting offers may vary.

• Minimal Moisture

Drainage matting is an effective solitary solution depending on the amount of water your crawl space has to deal with. Homes that see minimal moisture or are built on a slope may find that drainage matting alone is sufficient.

However, it’s crucial that you know how much moisture you’re really dealing with if you’re going to manage your moisture problems with drainage matting. Only an expert can really confirm this for you.

• Combining Drainage Matting With Other Options

Drainage matting works best with a drainage system and crawl space vapor barrier. Every crawl space is slightly different, however, which means your crawl space will need a unique solution.

You might need a variety of things for your crawl space. For example, you may need to invest in full crawl space encapsulation, or you might need to add a sump pump. Maximum efficacy is achievable when you have an expert’s opinion.