What Kind of Effects Does a High Relative Humidity Have?
In spite of the fact that it may not always appear to be a problem, excessive humidity inside of a building is one that you should make every effort to address as soon as it is practical to do so. The effects of high levels of humidity inside your home can include the ones listed above.
In either the Basement or the Crawl Space
When the issue of excessively high indoor humidity first starts to become a problem, the crawl space or basement will most likely be the first location to experience truly serious complications as a result of the condition. Because warmer air is capable of carrying more moisture, locations that are cooler have higher levels of humidity even if there is the same level of water moisture in the area. This indicates that regions with lower temperatures have a greater potential for reaching a relative humidity of more than 100 percent and producing condensation.
Because underground areas tend to maintain a lower temperature during the day than above-ground areas, your crawl space or basement will feel noticeably cooler than the rest of your house. That means that condensation in the crawl space or the basement could be the source of high humidity inside. That’s an open invitation for mold and mildew to start growing in the area [add link], for wood rot to start infesting your home structure, and for floor joists to start sagging under the weight of the home.
Throughout the Whole of Your House
Your entire house will eventually become infested with that high humidity if you allow it to continue. Instead, the humidity levels will almost certainly rise throughout the rest of the house, which almost certainly won’t remain the same as they are in your crawl space. Your home’s crawl space could be the source of up to half of the air that you breathe there. This includes the amount of moisture as well as any other potentially hazardous airborne contaminants that may be present in the crawl space.
If you live in a region that is typically cold, you run the risk of having serious problems with condensation in the rest of your home. Have you ever observed the formation of condensation on the surfaces of your walls, appliances, or other areas of your home? It may be an indication that the humidity level in your house is too high. It is possible for mold and mildew to grow on any organic material, which means that drawers, dressers, and other similar items could be at risk.
The Root Causes of the Issues
Consider the issues that lie beneath the ones you are currently experiencing as well, as this is also an essential consideration. What could be causing the extremely high levels of humidity that you are observing inside? There are a few notable exceptions, but the majority of the time, the high level of humidity found inside does not occur naturally. In most cases, there needs to be some kind of water supply in order to account for the presence of humidity.
This is something that will most frequently occur if your crawl space is made of dirt because water from the ground will seep up through the dirt. It leads to extremely high levels of humidity, which, in the absence of crawl space encapsulation, can be difficult or impossible to manage. Nevertheless, there are a variety of other factors that might contribute to the high humidity levels inside. These are all potentially important aspects to consider, but you should focus your efforts on fixing the core issue first.
Utilizing the assistance of a professional will allow you to get the most out of both your home and your crawl space.
The majority of the time, the crawl space is to blame for the high levels of humidity found inside. Even though there are other things that can cause high levels of humidity inside a building, it is common for the crawl space to be the place where it all begins and where it quickly escalates. Because of this, it is imperative that you make certain you are aware of the causes of excessive humidity inside as well as the solutions to these problems.
An RLM Retrofit Foundation will be able to provide you with additional information regarding your crawl space, the requirements of your home, as well as inspection and repair services for your foundation. To get more information about the solutions to your problems with high levels of humidity inside your home, all you have to do is make an appointment for a free Foundation Inspection Near Me Redondo Beach with a specialist.
What Do I Need to Do to Fix the High Humidity Levels Inside Redondo Beach