Water Underneath Your Home

Unless your have a basement, not many people care much for venturing into that little door that leads underneath your home. The crawl space under there can vary from house to house. If you have ever had the pleasure of going in there, then you know how spooky it can be. It is usually very dark with lots of long ago vacated cobwebs and possibly some more recent occupied ones. It is also a great place for snakes to creep into, as well as mice and small animals.

You might not ever want to go under there, but an occasional look around into the dark depths with a flashlight might be a good thing. Not knowing what is going on under there can result in some bad consequences if left undetected.

If you happen to have central heating and air ductwork running underneath your home, any of the places it may have came loose can cause you to lose heating and cooling efficiency, in turn causing more strain on your unit and your wallet. Brackets holding the duct work off the ground could work loose or rust. It probably won’t happen, but you never know.

A more serious problem can occur if water leakage happens. This can be really bad if it is occurring around the foundation of your home. Over time, it can cause foundation failure. When this happens, the walls inside your home can become affected as well. If you find water under the house it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Water damage in any form is never good.

Leaking pipes can cause water to puddle in spots under the house also. It does not sound too bad unless the leak happens to be wetting the floor joist. Eventually, it will cause rotting and molding to occur. This can lead to floor damage that can be costly and not easy to repair.

Outside water spigots are another thing you do not worry about until you start to use it and have problems. Usually the handle will start to slip and will not shut off completely. This is very easy to notice, but leaks can also develop in the piping behind the foundation walls where you can not see.

So, if you do go under your house just to have a look around, keep these few things in mind to check out while you are there. A little prevention really can go a long way towards saving time and money later on.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.