Damp Pea Gravel in Crawl Space help

[Fargo]

Here where I live in central IN, we have gotten at least 8 inches of rain in the last 10 days. My house is a trilevel, half slab and half crawl space. I opened up the access to the crawl and most of the pea gravel appears damp, but no standing water. There is a sump and pump in the crawl.

My question is: do I need to do something to remediate the dampness or do I just leave it to dry? I suppose while I'm home I could put a box fan at the access (outdoor) to pull air/moisture out while maintaining negative pressure to the house but I don't know if this is necessary. Air temp in crawl is quite cool, I would say definitely cooler than the temp in the house.

Any help would be greatly appreciate.

Thanks in advance.

 

[wassup61]

Do you have crawlspace vents? it may be that the relative humidity is quite high and you are seeing surface condensation. Run a dehumidifier and have it drain in the sump pump.

 

[Dirtebiker]

Is there plastic sheeting under the gravel?

 

[churchmouse]

Here where I live in central IN, we have gotten at least 8 inches of rain in the last 10 days. My house is a trilevel, half slab and half crawl space. I opened up the access to the crawl and most of the pea gravel appears damp, but no standing water. There is a sump and pump in the crawl.

My question is: do I need to do something to remediate the dampness or do I just leave it to dry? I suppose while I'm home I could put a box fan at the access (outdoor) to pull air/moisture out while maintaining negative pressure to the house but I don't know if this is necessary. Air temp in crawl is quite cool, I would say definitely cooler than the temp in the house.

Any help would be greatly appreciate.

Thanks in advance.

Are the A/C vents in the space.

Are they leaking air into the space.

The other suggestions are good ones also. Vents/plastic etc.

A box fan could help if the space has vents.

 

[17 squirrel]

Also check and make sure that your downspouts and sump- pump discharges as far away from your home as possible.
Make sure gutters are clean.

 

[Fargo]

Is there plastic sheeting under the gravel?

There is a vapor barrier but it is not in the best condition. I believe it is original which would make it around 30 yrs old. The temp in the crawl is very cool, although I don't see dampness on the high spots in the pea gravel so I think it is coming up from below rather than condensation. I don't see any vents in the crawl. I believe that AC air does either leak/vent into it as I can feel cold air being pushed out around where the gas line goes through the foundation.

I never did HVAC work so I don't know if that is normal or not.

Thanks much,
Joe

 

[churchmouse]

There is a vapor barrier but it is not in the best condition. I believe it is original which would make it around 30 yrs old. The temp in the crawl is very cool, although I don't see dampness on the high spots in the pea gravel so I think it is coming up from below rather than condensation. I don't see any vents in the crawl. I believe that AC air does either leak/vent into it as I can feel cold air being pushed out around where the gas line goes through the foundation.

I never did HVAC work so I don't know if that is normal or not.

Thanks much,
Joe

If your duct work is in the slab there are some leaks in it. Nothing uncommon.the cool air will cause some condensation and that could lead to other issues. Are there any vents in the foundation for this area.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I could be really helpful and point out that at least it is damp pea gravel and not damp pee gravel!

 

[Leo]

I had a sand crawl space and had installed an exhaust fan in one of the foundation vents. I made it by screwing a wooden flange on an old Furnace blower, tapped for low speed. Just plugging it in for a while prevented the dampness from becoming musty smelling. In regular years, that was only 30-45 days. I think this year it would be all year.

 

[looney2ns]

You need one of these: http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00613...a_nav_t_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0X8WNYY5AZVG1XTSMSQ7 to see what is really going on. Put it in the crawl and leave it for 24hrs.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

It is the 2nd wettest July in history, and likely to take first. 3"-5" of rain each day a few different times, and well, it's no surprise if stuff is damp.

 

[matthewmaze]

my house has what are called micro springs under it the water pushes up from underneath when the ground is extremely wet