Crawl Space Dehumidifier – Do You Need One?

 

There are many reasons why you need a dehumidifier in your basement or crawl space. One of the main points of owning a crawl space dehumidifier is simply for the peace of mind that it will bring you. Simply put, many houses have a crawl space that is perfect for storing those items that you will not need to use on a regular basis – well it would be perfect if it wasn’t for the damp that creeps through the average crawl space.

That’s why a subset of dehumidifiers have been made that are tailored to the small crawl spaces that are found in the majority of the houses currently on the market. What makes these dehumidifiers so special then? Well, the main reason is that they are small enough to fit in without taking up too much space (which is what you want to use the crawl space for) and they do a very good job of keep an average house’s crawl space moisture free. The second thing is that they are made to be kept in such small and confined places – where normal dehumidifiers would ice up easily. A crawl space dehumidifier is specifically designed not to ice up and does not need much maintenance. It’s what makes them so special.

However, you might be asking yourself – why spend that money on a crawl space dehumidifier? There are far better ways to spend money and a little bit of damp never killed anyone… right? Wrong! The thing is, there is a huge list of reasons why you absolutely do not want your crawl space to be damp at all – and in the end, your life could depend on it. Also, if the problem is not taken care of, it can also ruin your home. Obviously, this can cause your home value to decrease substantially.

Reasons To Use A Crawl Space Dehumidifier:

The first reason is simply pests. You won’t ever clean your crawl space as it’s far too small to clean properly. A bit of dusting, cleaning out the cobwebs and that’s about it. If it’s damp however, then you have a problem with a wide variety of pests that absolutely love dark, humid places. Think of rats and cockroaches, think of how much they thrive in these dark humid places. Your crawl space is heaven for these pests – and they are just waiting to get out and stretch their many legs.  Cockroaches are a huge problem when you do not take care of the dampness and humidity in in your crawl space and is one of the best reasons to get a crawl space dehumidifier. The fact that cockroaches are notorious carriers of all types of violent bacteria and illness is reason enough to invest in a crawl space dehumidifier.

The second reason is mold. Now mold might not strike you as a particularly violent thing – it’s just mold – or so most people reckon. The thing is, mold is a fungus. It likes dark, humid places because it does not thrive off of photosynthesis like most plants – it thrives off of organic matter. That means it eats away at living tissue – and if mold gets out of control, it can be extremely dangerous to your health. Now, depending on the type of mold you have, you can suffer anything from sinus problems to death if left unchecked. The symptoms from inhaling mold spores will never appear out of the blue – they will build up and once you have them in your system, they are devilishly difficult to get rid of. Prevention is definitely better than cure and one sure fire way to prevent any mold from forming at all is to get rid of the water, ie: humidity, that mold needs to thrive. If that isn’t reason enough to get yourself a proper crawl space dehumidifier then I don’t know what is.

Other Reasons To Consider Using A Crawl Space Dehumidifier

Low Cost Energy Bill
A dehumidifier removes some of the strain on your air conditioner by removing moisture from the air in your basement and crawl space.

Add Usable Storage Space
Having your basement and crawl space properly conditioned with a dehumidifier can give you a clean, dry environment suitable for storage.

Year Round Protection
With most dehumidifier modes, there is an active defrost mechanism which is designed to work in all temperatures, along with an automatic dehumidistat. This lets you set it and forget it.

Improve Air Quality In Your Home
Drying out the damp crawl space or basement should eliminate the largest source of biological contaminants that can trigger allergies and asthma inside of your home.

These reason are simple enough, get a crawl space dehumidifier or you could have a huge number of problems later on. It’s not only about keeping extra stuff that you stow away safe from the humidity, it’s really a matter of life and death. Mold and pests will be a thing of the past if you just take a little bit of care and get yourself a crawl space dehumidifier. There’s a good reason the majority of builders will install one as standard, but just in case the guy who does your renovations wants to skimp a little on the job… make sure you install a crawl space dehumidifier in your home.

What Is The Proper Crawl Space Dehumidifier Size?

The crawl space dehumidifier is made in a variety of sizes so they are able to fit into whatever room that is needed. Since they are not large units, they can be placed in a crawl space very nicely. Every dehumidifier is manufactured to dehumidify a certain amount of square footage. This is very important information that you need to know before buying or considering a dehumidifier rental.

If you have moisture in your basement or have a crawl space, we can guarantee you will be very happy that you added a crawl space dehumidifier!