Moisture control is incredibly important for pest control in your home. Many common insects love moisture, and if you have problems with moisture in your crawlspace or basement it can become a breeding ground for pests. That is why Clegg’s offers a variety of moisture control services. Read on below for answers to common questions about how moisture can affect pest infestation in your home, the services we offer, and the moisture control techniques we employ to protect your home.
The following content was provided by Donald Link, one of our pest control heroes and moisture control experts here at Clegg’s Pest Control. Donald has extensive experience dealing with moisture cases in homes across North Carolina. Some relevant links have been added to audio transcripts to provide resources or additional information.
Table of Contents: Moisture Control
Click on a question below to be taken directly to that answer and content.
- Where is the water in my crawlspace coming from?
- What will happen if I don’t take care of water in my crawlspace?
- What pests can moisture control prevent?
- What are the moisture control services that Clegg’s offers?
- How is moisture control important for pest control?
- What happens during a moisture inspection?
- How do I know if I have a moisture problem?
- What is TAP insulation? Why is it important?
- What is a sump pump? How does it work?
- What is a french drain? How does it work?
- Do I need a sump pump or a french drain?
- What is a moisture barrier?
- Do I need a moisture barrier or a french drain?
Need help with a moisture problem in your home? Contact us through the form below or give us a call to schedule your FREE initial inspection. Otherwise, continue reading below to learn more about moisture control!
Where is the water in my crawlspace coming from?
Like I said earlier, it could be from the lay of the land, where it builds up next to the foundation and seeps through your rock and brick. Or if a foundation is just made out of brick, a lot of times they have cracks and it seeps through the cracks of the brick.
What will happen if I don’t take care of water in my crawlspace?
Usually if you have a real bad issue and you do nothing about it, your wood will get wood decay and fungi, which causes your floor joist to rot. Sooner or later, you will have a high dollar payment to make to have someone out there to fix it. All pest problems … They, like I said earlier, pests do like damp, dark areas also.
What pests can moisture control prevent?
Let’s see, the American roach, camelback crickets, millipedes, centipedes. Most all insects like some type of darkness, dampness areas, and especially termites. They like the darkness and damp also.
What are the moisture control services that Clegg’s offers?
Clegg’s offers dehumidifiers with a hundred percent vapor barrier. We do French drains to help control any water that is coming in through your foundation and run it to a sump pump to where we can pump it back out of your crawl space. Also, if you have high moisture into your wood, we also do a timber treatment that helps control the fungi that is caused by high moisture.
How is moisture control important for pest control?
Well, a lot of your bugs like high moisture areas, like your large American roaches and stuff like that. They like being underneath where there’s dampness. Camel crickets like dark, damp places. A lot of insects, they just like to be where it’s damp and dark.
What happens during a moisture inspection?
First of all, I’ll talk to the homeowner. If they know where the moisture is coming from … I ask them if they know where the issue lies. Then we do a complete inspection of the property, see which way the land is laying, because that’s where … A lot of times the water’s from the runoff of a hill, and it just sits up against the foundation til it seeps underneath the foundation. Or, to make sure we do an inspection inside the crawl to make sure there’s not a leaking water line somewhere. Sometimes that tends to be the issue, a busted waterline or something. But the homeowner usually does not crawl underneath the house, so it’s up to us to do a thorough inspection, to find out where the issue is coming from.
How do I know if I have a moisture problem?
You’re going to have mold or mildew inside your closet areas, or anywhere along the baseboards, if your floor starts to swelling and buckling. That’s pretty much to know, unless you crawl up under the house and see standing water.
What is TAP insulation? Why is it important?
TAP insulation, the one that goes in your attic area, that helps to keep your attic cool in the summer and warm in winter.
What is a sump pump? How does it work?
If you have standing water, usually we recommend a sump pump. That way you can pump it back out. But also, the sump pump should be connected to a French drain around the inside of the foundation of the home so that the water runs straight to the sump pump and it can be all pumped back outside.
What is a french drain? How does it work?
A French drain is a 12 inch ditch that’s dug around the inside of the foundation. It has a four inch layer of rock in the bottom, a four inch pipe, and another four inches of rock on top. That channels all the water to the sump pump and also keeps the water from running all the way across the crawlspace area and it’s just confined to the trench area and it’s pumped back outside.
Do I need a sump pump or a french drain?
Well, if you just do a French drain, the water is just going to sit there inside your crawlspace area and become stale and musty and it’s going to cause a moisture issue to the wood. With it just standing there, then it could cause fungi to grow on the wood, which can also cause allergies. You need a sump pump to go with the drain to make sure that that does not happen, so it can be pumped back outside.
What is a moisture barrier?
A moisture barrier is a six mil poly. That’s what we use. You can do 80 to 100 percent coverage in the crawl space. That helps to control the ground moisture from going up into the floor joists and the rest of the wood underneath the crawl space.
Do I need a moisture barrier or a french drain?
A moisture barrier does not control water from coming into the crawl space like a French drain would. It’s just a moisture barrier to keep the dampness from the ground absorbing into the wood.
