Did you know about 15% of homes have a crawl space? Although many people have one, some homeowners might not even know where their crawl space is or what purpose it serves for their home.
This issue is very common. For many, a crawl space isn’t a part of the home that they see often, if at all, so they don’t think too much about it. However, your crawl space plays a very important role in your home and ignoring it can be detrimental to your health.
If you want to learn more about your home and how to take care of it, keep reading to learn 5 things you need to know about crawl spaces.
1. It Circulates Air
A crawl space serves several functions, and one of the most important is airflow. Unlike a basement, a crawl space has ventilation that allows air to circulate within it. It has been found that up to 40% of the air you breathe in your home comes from your crawl space.
With that being said, it might be a good idea for crawl space cleaning. Removing bugs, trash, and excess dirt is a good idea for making the space better for your air quality.
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2. Why Some Homes Have One and Some Don’t
Houses are usually built on either a concrete slab or elevated with a crawl space. There are pros and cons to both ways. A crawl space is a cheaper and less tedious option than a concrete slab, so many times these will be the route builders take.
For a concrete slab, you are less likely to have moisture and mold problems. For a crawl space, your house is elevated, so you will face less of an issue from flooding.
3. Use It to Store Items
While a crawl space is not nearly as big as a garage or a basement, it can often be used to store items. It is recommended that you avoid putting items in there that don’t do well with moisture. Some items that would be okay to store would be bricks or pipes.
Depending on several factors, moisture can get trapped in your crawl space and damage items you store in it.
4. Run Systems Through It
Besides the fact that your crawl space is used to support the house, running your systems through it is another key benefit to having one. Oftentimes, crawl spaces will have your plumbing and electrical running through them.
Having them located in your crawl space gives your service technician easy access to be able to work on them.
5. You Might Get Unwanted Guests
Because your crawl space is likely the dirtiest place in your entire home, you might not be surprised to find unwanted guests like rodents or even larger animals. You don’t know what you might find.
You might also encounter standing water in crawl space, which you will want to take care of immediately.
An Important Home Feature
Taking care of your home is an important task, and many things can go wrong. By knowing more about your crawl space, you can know its purpose and ways you can utilize it. For more articles on taking care of your home, be sure to check out our Home Improvement section.
