United Termite & Pest Control

Dirt crawl spaces are great places to live, thrive and reproduce, especially if you're a bug. Such locations provide pests with
ideal conditions including an even temperature, moisture, damp wood and shelter. Spiders, beetles, centipedes, termites, and
all kinds of other insects are often found in dirt crawl spaces and it is not uncommon for animals such as mice (dead and
alive) to also be found in this locale. In some cases even rats, snakes and small animals have been found in dirt crawl space
areas.

Mold spores, which are the seeds of mold can be found practically everywhere. Organic material such as wood, the right
temperature range, and moisture are all that are required to encourage their growth. And of these contributory factors,
moisture is the only aspect that can be controlled.

Mold can grow on dirt, insulation, framing, and even under your carpet on the first floor destroying organic materials as it
feeds on them. Additionally, mold reproduces by generating millions of floating airborne spores, which some people are very
sensitive to. Spores can be dormant for many years, waiting for the right conditions to grow while other molds are toxic
and/or produce mycotoxins, such as the black mold Stachybotyrs. Many articles can be found on the effects of mold, and toxic
mold.

Dirt crawl spaces have high humidity levels necessary for mold growth. In fact, humidity levels from 50% to 90% are easily
found in dirt crawl spaces that have never flooded. With such high humidity levels often presented in dirt crawl spaces, other
nearby surfaces that are cooler, such as the earth at 55 degrees, concrete and metal surfaces will swell with water vapor
condensing out of the air. As a result of this moisture formation, rot and odors can be expected to develop and a newly
created water source may serve as an attractant to critters.

Since the earth has a very high humidity in the soil and water vapor moves easily into the crawl space and upwards into the
house environment, a dirt crawl space under a home is far from ideal. The natural airflow in a house is from bottom to top,
which may allow moist air and everything in it to ventilate up into the living areas of the house. Additionally, heating and
cooling costs are higher in a home with a vented dirt crawl space.

A damp environment is very unhealthy and destructive, allowing mold to thrive and further generate airborne spores by the
millions. Not only do insects and critters love damp environments and wet materials, but rot and decay can also occur in
damp environments causing structural damage.

Mold spores, odors, humidity and critters create a very unhealthy environment for people. Many people are allergic to these
things, and experience a host of symptoms without realizing that their dirt crawl space is affecting their health. Don't be
fooled to believe that a dirt crawl space must be wet or flooded in order to present a compromised living environment for
you and your family.

The humidity level in many crawl spaces go from over 80% to under 35% after a vapor barrier or Temp Vent Automatic
Foundation Vents are installed. Some homeowners say that the windows and doors upstairs are opening better because
the swollen wood has dried out. Even buckling hardwood floors and carpets dry out.