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Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration

How Does Water in My Crawlspace Get Removed?

9/24/2021 (Permalink)

sunlight shining through a window into a crawlspace or basement Flooding in your crawlspace area can quickly cause structural damage and create a potential for mold. Contact SERVPRO to assess and remediate.

Flooding Underneath Your House Can Cause Problems for Your Largo Property

Our SERVPRO professionals can help with fast and reliable water extraction. Your crawlspace for your Largo house is a structural design to reduce the exposure of your main floor to situations like flooding. Unfortunately, this area can also get flooded. While this might not be as pressing and severe as several inches of standing water in the main level of your residence, it is a situation that you want to take care of as soon as possible.

Flood extraction for Largo homes and their crawl spaces requires a series of powerful tools and proven approaches. Because of this being a confined space, the methods of extraction and drying change and can be much more complicated. Between removing standing water and preventing recurrences in the future, you can count on our SERVPRO professionals to help however you need.

Should I Do Anything About Flood Water in My Crawl Space?

You would not be alone to think that standing flood water in your crawlspace is not a considerable problem. You might even be among the homeowners that initially choose to do nothing about this circumstance, assuming that it can get better on its own. In truth, there are many reasons that crawl space flooding should be resolved as soon as you can. These include:

  • Deteriorating Structural Elements – Supports and subflooring exposed in this open area beneath your house can become damaged by direct exposure to flooding or the elevated moisture beneath the house. 
  • Microbial Growth – Increased moisture and dampness throughout this area can facilitate mold growth. This spreading organism can quickly penetrate flooring and wall systems to damage the living area above the crawlspace.
  • Bacterial or Viral Pathogens – With natural flooding, there is a high probability that the standing water in your crawl space has some form of bacteria or contaminant. From sewage to decaying carcasses, many dangerous substances and solids can get brought near your home with a flood.

What Contaminants Are Professionals Worried About with Flooding?

Natural flooding often gets treated the same as a biohazard like sewage backup in your house. Because we cannot disprove the presence of harmful or hazardous bacteria and other contaminants, it is a better practice to work as though it is present. For the technicians that must enter the crawlspace to set up extraction equipment and drying tools, we ensure that each of these professionals wears the appropriate personal protective equipment. This gear includes Tyvek full-body suits, respirators, gloves, and closed shoes. This head-to-toe protection of our technicians can keep them safe from contaminants such as:

  • Bacteria
  • Debris
  • Mud
  • Decaying Materials 
  • Oil
  • Chemical Substances 

How Do Water and Moisture Get Removed from a Confined Space?

Confined spaces can be potentially problematic for extraction and drying, especially regarding setting up the equipment in the appropriate areas. The right choices can ensure that water gets removed promptly, and the necessary drying follows after that. With some of the pumps and extractors having a limited discharge and intake hose available, only specific extractors and drying tools can be efficient and effective in flood events damaging a crawlspace. These include:

  • Submersible Pumps – Sump pumps can vary in their power supply, sizes, and strength. While one of the most common extractors used by our SERVPRO team is the electric submersible pump, these are often ineffective in standing water that has solids and debris floating in it. In these cases, gas-powered trash pumps can move this water out of the damaged areas.
  • Wet Vacuums – For standing water that is only a few inches deep, wet vacuums can often complete the removal process. These are versatile machines that are highly portable, making extraction of the entire crawlspace fast and efficient. 
  • Air Movers – Centrifugal and axial air movers both can play a vital role in the evaporative drying of structural elements and the open-air beneath your house. Before permanent long-term solutions can get installed, thorough drying must take place. 

Are There Long-Term Solutions to Prevent Flood Damage?

Preventing further flooding moving forward might not be as complicated as it seems. With crawl space encapsulation, we can take thick plastic sheeting and coat every exposed surface in the crawlspace to prevent water exposure. The installation of drainage and a permanent sump pump can also help to divert water from pooling in this area.

When your crawlspace gets flooded, it might be more critical than you realize to dry up the damage. Our SERVPRO of Largo team can work quickly to protect your home, its contents, and its occupants. Give us a call anytime that you need us at (727) 586-0060.

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