Crawl Space Problem Signs
If there are problems in your crawl space, these are common symptoms you will notice. Are any of these familiar in your house?
Ohio Basement Systems

Crawl Space Water
If you find water continually building up in your crawl space and there is no obvious cause, you should call a professional immediately. This is a sign of real damage in your home.
Ohio Basement Systems

Sagging Wet Crawl Space Insulation
Fiberglass insulation installed between crawl space joists will eventually absorb moisture and fall on the floor, causing problems for your crawl space
Ohio Basement Systems

Dry Rot & Brown Rot Problems
Damage from dry rot creates small, rectangular pieces of crumbling wood on the surface. Dry rot damage is often mistaken as a termite infestation.
Ohio Basement Systems

Crawl Space Ventilation
While it is always a good idea to keep your crawl space well ventilated, we now know that the best methods of ventilation to avoid damage are interior air conditioning systems.
Your crawl space is the snug place in between your home and the soil beneath it. It’s typically used for the storage of the veins of your home, like air ducts and piping. When moisture creeps into this space through crawl space vents and gets trapped in the dark, muggy space, you may run into issues that affect your day-to-day life. Cold floors, higher electric bills, worsening allergy symptoms, and even tripping hazards on drooping, sagging floors are just some ways that a festering crawl space can affect your life. Learn how Ohio Basement Systems can restore your home with warrantied crawl space repair and encapsulation.
A Crack in Your Foundation Shouldn't Break the Bank
Learn More About This PromotionTake advantage of
up to $525 off
any job over $2500

Causes of Crawl Space Damage
Your crawl space can become damaged in a number of ways. Here are a few of the common causes behind these problems.
A major flaw with a crawl space is how it is constructed in the first place. Builders first begin by digging a hole in the earth large enough to accommodate your foundation, including the crawl space. The foundation walls are then built, followed by the flooring system, and the rest of the house. Unlike basements that have concrete floors, crawl spaces typically have uncovered dirt floors. Along with multiple entry points – foundation wall cracks, rim joists, and vents – this exposure to the elements leaves the crawl space open to outside air, moisture, pests, and other nuisances that can infiltrate and affect your home.
Part of the crawl space construction process involves placing vents in the crawl space foundation walls. Crawl spaces have been built this way for many years with the intention of increasing airflow and decreasing the chance for mold and mildew growth. However, foundation specialists have found the opposite to be true. Open vents allow unconditioned outside air into the crawl space, as well as moisture, water, and pests. All these nuisances create a recipe for disaster, as mold grows and thrives in dark, moist areas like crawl spaces. Pests also are drawn to the area for the same reasons. Infestations of mold and pests not only create an unhealthy crawl space, but they affect the health of the rest of your home.
Crawl space construction and open vents also lend themselves to another common cause of crawl space issues – the stack effect. The stack effect involves the natural flow of warm air from bottom to top. Whether hot or cold air enters your crawl space through the vents or wall cracks, the air will become warm enough to rise throughout the rest of your home. This means that anything in your crawl space such as mold growth, mold spores, unpleasant odors, pest waste, dust, and other toxins is also in the air circulating in your home. This can aggravate existing health issues or potentially cause them in otherwise healthy individuals, as well as increase your energy bills.
Award-Winning Service


-
Caleb, Tae, and Sean came and worked without a break to finish the job. They were courteous, answered any questions I had and left the work area clean. Caleb, Tae, and Sean can work for me anytime, they all seemed concerned they were doing a great…
View review Read Darryl Woods's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
Today technician David Farson arrived at my home to do a yearly inspection of my Ohio Basement Waterproofing Sustem.He called in the morning to give me an ETA and arrived on time. This young man is an absolute professional. He was polite,…
View review Read Cynthia Hanlin's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
Chris was very punctual, professional, and informative. He is extremely knowledgeable and answered all of my questions in detail.
View review Read Dorene Disanto's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
We had our basement waterproofed by Wynn, Melon and Gavyn. They were professional and brought us up to speed on each process step by step. Helped us understand the corrective procedures they applied and what we should monitor afterward.They came on…
View review Read Esther Orlando's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
Eathon, Darnell and Troy did a awesome job. I would recommend this crew at any time. Worked all day took pictures to show me made the driveway picture perfect. Answered there phones and got back to me every time they deserve 10 stars and a…
View review Read Frank Barres's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
Clinton was amazing! professional, courteous and knew what he was doing, an excellent brand ambassador, I wish he was working for me!
View review Read Andreas Camp (dirty Dan)'s review for Ohio Basement Systems -
We recently had our basement waterproofed by Zac, Alec and Jose. They were very professional and had the job completed on time. They frequently checked with us to see if we had any questions regarding the work being done.
View review Read Ann Lander's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
William was great! Knew his information!
View review Read Susan Elam's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
The crew were excellent and very professional. They were knowledgeable and highly skilled and very committed to the project. They always took time to answer all inquiries about the projects steps and procedures. Job well done.
View review Read Rita Willians's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
Very impressed with John & co worker. They were friendly, professional, explained the process, and amazing results. Cleaned up area after completing the job. Would highly recommend this team! From an extremely pleased customer.
View review Read Deb Coleman's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
This is the most unprofessional company I have ever dealt with. They didn’t properly do there job on several counts and now will not answer or return my calls after spending over $25,000 with them. Don’t waste your time. After leaving a message on…
View review Read Emily Sadowski's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
William Nelson. Was very insightful and helpful in his estimate.
View review Read Lamont Wright's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
William Nelson was very efficient, great knowledge about the company. I would definitely recommend
View review Read Karmen Carter's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
The inspection by Brian Kingsmore today was excellent. Brian gave me information to make a decision on what would be best for me. I will be using Ohio Basement Systems in the future.
View review Read Lam Mar's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
Alex Detloff was very helpful, knowledgeable and personable. He went into great detail on the service he provided and made recommendations for further service. We were very pleased with the service and would highly recommend Ohio Basement Systems.
View review Read Mark Dansizen's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
We initially ran into a hiccup with this company, but once they were made aware they were quick to respond and rectify any complaint we had. The management is honest and very responsive which we greatly appreciated. For this reason, I would…
View review Read Constance Cook's review for Ohio Basement Systems -
Completed a basement system consult with William Nelson highly professional service from William broke everything down detail by detail would highly recommend this company due to the very skilled break down and patience from this representative will…
View review Read Tonya Thomas's review for Ohio Basement Systems
Crawl Space Repair Solutions
Your crawl space doesn’t have to be a dirty place that detracts from your home’s value and provides a perfect habitat for mold, insects, and other pests. Crawl space sealing, or encapsulation, is recommended to improve home comfort, healthfulness, energy efficiency, and overall home value. Ohio Basement Systems is Greater Cleveland’s crawl space repair expert.
Ohio Basement Systems

Crawl Space Dehumidifier
Controlling moisture is the key to eliminating problems with mold, dust mites and wood rot in your crawl space.
Ohio Basement Systems

IntelliJack™ Crawl Space Stabilizer
IntelliJack™ support posts will straighten and strengthen sagging, bouncy floors above a crawl space.
Ohio Basement Systems

Crawl Space Vapor Barrier
Keep your crawl space dry and mold-free with our patented vapor barrier.
Ohio Basement Systems

Crawl Space Drainage System
Ending crawl space moisture problems begins with drainage pipe and other moisture control products
Is Crawl Space Repair and Encapsulation the Right Solution for Me?
Greater Cleveland and the rest of Northern Ohio including Akron-Canton, Mansfield, and Youngstown is a basement-heavy part of the U.S. If you are an Ohioan who owns a crawl space or even a combination basement-crawl space, year-round precipitation via rain and snow does no favors to your home. You may not even know that mold, mildew, rot, and pests have invaded your crawl space until it’s too late.
You have a lot to consider as a homeowner—and your crawl space may seem like the least of your worries. At Ohio Basement Systems, we’re here to be your guide in all things crawl space and to find the right solution tailor-fit to your home. Our suite of durable encapsulation solutions including vapor barriers, drainage systems, and moisture control tactics all work together to create an inhabitable space for mold and pests. Setting up an appointment with us only takes a minute—get started now!
FAQs
If you have recently moved into a home with an exposed crawl space, or you are ready to consider encapsulating the crawl space of your current family home, we urge you to contact a crawl space specialist.
The Dangers of DIY
DIY repairs are something that many homeowners dabble in, and while we agree that it is good to have basic DIY skills, we also believe that DIY should end where structural issues begin. Because there is a high likelihood of structural problems in a damp, wet, or unhealthy crawl space, we urge our clients to avoid DIY encapsulation.
If you simply waterproof and seal a crawl space that is being affected by things like foundation damage, all you will be doing is covering up the signs of deterioration. This will lead to the issues being far more advanced when they are discovered. Worse still, you could end up creating an incubator of sorts, trapping water and pests into your crawl space. This could actually cause more damage than was previously at work.
The Benefits of Professional Services
A professional service offers many benefits, but the most obvious is its ability to safely and effectively tackle structural issues. Foundation damage, in particular, is quite dangerous when it comes to DIY repairs. This is because of the way in which it destabilizes many other parts of a structure. If you try to go it alone, you run the risk of causing damage or injury.
Furthermore, these tools are specialist in nature. Most homeowners will not have them to hand. By the time you rent all the necessary equipment and buy the required products, you could well end up paying more for a lower quality result if you try DIY. An expert will have all these tools already and can guarantee a certain standard of results. Finally, professional services offer permanent solutions. This is something you cannot guarantee if you try to undertake repair and encapsulation alone.
Dealing with an exposed crawl space can take a number of forms.Preventing damage is ideal, but when it has already taken root, there are repair methods available.
Structural Repairs
Structural repairs will always take precedence when there is a professional involved. In fact, they should always take precedence over waterproofing measures and cosmetic repairs. That’s because if they are not completed before these processes, the issue could recur or grow in severity and scope. This will make the situation more dangerous and could increase repair costs overall.
Structural repairs cover a broad number of processes including foundation repair, concrete lifting, joist repair and replacement, and wall reinforcement. The nature of structural repairs required in each home will vary depending on a number of factors. This is why we recommend that you call in a professional as soon as possible.
Waterproofing and Encapsulation
If there are no structural repairs needed or the structural concerns have all been resolved, a professional will most likely suggest crawl space waterproofing or encapsulation. This will include covering exposed vents and crawl space access doors but goes much further and has many tangible benefits for your whole home.
Like structural repairs, encapsulation varies from home to home and is tailored to the confines of a specific situation. Generally speaking, however, structural repairs include drainage assessment and improvement, insulation, and the installation of a vapor barrier, as well as the covering of vents and doors. This will improve energy efficiency, reduce humidity, and even allow you to use your crawl space for storage.
If a recent foray into your crawl space has uncovered dampness or flooding, it is natural to be worried. There are a number of issues that can lead to standing water in your crawl space, but the most common (other than open vents) are:
Internal Leaks
One way in which a lot of moisture can make its way into a crawl space is via internal leaks in the plumbing system that runs through a property and its attached appliances. For example, small leaks caused by weak joints between pipes or pipes and appliances can produce a surprising amount of water in any crawl space. A more dramatic example, however, is a bursting pipe.
Plumbing leaks can be caused by a number of factors, but they are fairly easy to spot. Plumbing floods and burst pipes are the most serious issues, and the easiest to spot. You can recognize smaller leaks, however, by sudden changes in water pressure, small fluctuations in temperature, stains around impacted pipes and appliances, and a visible leak.
Structural Damage
Structural damage is a slightly more insidious and worrying cause of dampness and water in a crawl space. The most likely cause of large amounts of water in a crawl space (when open vents and internal leaks have been ruled out) is foundation damage. Any kind of cracking or damage in a foundation will allow a surprising amount of groundwater to seep up into a property.
The most likely foundation issue at work in these cases is settlement. Generally caused by expansive soils, settlement sees sections of a foundation breaking away and sinking into the ground. When rainfall saturates the soil, this will let water seep into the crawl space quite quickly. Another possible cause is subsidence.
The average height of a crawl space can measure anywhere between one to three feet high. As its name implies, this is just large enough to crawl around.
The main purpose of the crawl space is to store your home’s vital systems inside it. This includes your HVAC system, insulation, electrical wiring, plumbing, and floor support beams. These systems should not be wet whatsoever, which can be a problem when moisture inevitably does enter this space. The crawl space needs to be completely dry or you risk these systems breaking down and causing even more problems all around your house.
Our team at Ohio Basement Systems can help you protect your crawl space and home with various solutions including a vapor barrier, dehumidifier, and much more.
To put it simply, flood vents are like old-fashioned crawl space vents, but they serve a different purpose and are often designed to be closed until they are needed these days. With that said, there are times when crawl space vents can be converted into flood vents.
Ventilation
In the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, it was very common for properties that had crawl spaces to have vents installed as a matter of practice. These vents were open to the air at all times and were designed to increase internal airflow. This was thought to prevent issues with dampness and humidity in the property. These vents would allow water to pass through them in the event of flooding, which is why they are partially effective in the event of a storm surge.
Flood vents, by contrast, are not designed to ventilate a crawl space. Their only purpose is to give way to water when there is a serious flood. We now know that exterior crawl space ventilation is more likely to cause damage to a property, and can be the root cause of issues with dampness, humidity, and condensation in a home.
Pressure Relief and Equalization
Flood vents are also precisely designed and placed to give the best possible effect. This may seem like a very small difference, but it is important. When a storm surge roars through any area, the margin between endurance and catastrophe can be incredibly slim. This is why FEMA has very specific requirements for the size and placement of flood vents; they know what works best.
In the end, the purpose of a flood vent is to equalize the pressure inside and outside of your property to prevent the flooding and storm surge from causing your property to shift, crack, or even experience localized collapse. This is why flood vents come in many different forms. They need to be functional for whichever home they are being installed in.
Why Crawl Space Repair and Encapsulation Are Needed

Makes Your Crawl Space Less Welcoming to Pests
Encapsulation isn’t a cure-all for pests already invading your crawl space. But after the exterminators leave, call the experts at Ohio Basement Systems. Crawl space encapsulation creates a clean, dry, and sterile environment that pests have no business in. It also seals off your craw space completely so that it’s harder for common pests like roaches, rats, carpenter ants, termites, and even snakes to penetrate.

Cleans Up the Air Quality in Your Home
Did you know that about 50% of the air you breathe comes from your crawl space? When mold, mildew, and toxins from pest waste seethe in your crawl space, it can have adverse effects on your health as you breathe it all in. According to the Mayo Clinic, “A mold allergy can cause coughing, itchy eyes and other symptoms that make you miserable. In some people, a mold allergy is linked to asthma and exposure causes restricted breathing and other airway symptoms.”

Strengthening Your Home’s Structural Integrity
When mold spores run wild in your crawl space, they eat away at the vital support system, your floor joists, or support beams. Using a pencil, crawl space experts can test the health of the wood in your crawl space. In extreme cases, a pencil can easily puncture the soft, water-damaged supports beneath your home. This is a major safety issue for you and your family. Our experts can repair the weakened joists and seal off your crawl space for moisture and mold control.
Common Crawl space Repair and Encapsulation Tips & Mistakes
Mistakes to Avoid
- Waiting for Too Long. If these issues are left to thrive in your crawl space, you may end up with major structural issues as mold and mildew can weaken the structural supports within your crawl space. This uninviting space can also damage the mechanical innards of your home by growing mold on air ducts or pipes, or even having critters chew at them. Additionally, the stack effect causes the air in your crawl space to rise into your living space—leaving you to breathe in the toxins brewing in the crawl space.
- Going Into Your Crawl Space Alone. If you suspect issues in your crawl space, it’s best to call in a professional to inspect it for you instead of going in there alone. Critters, dangerous mold spores, and even structural hazards may be waiting in there for you. Our team of professionals has the safety equipment and the experience to take this unsettling task off your hands. Plus, we will inspect your home completely for free.
- Picking and Choosing Encapsulation Solutions. A full crawl space encapsulation is made up of multiple solutions working together to create a clean and functional space. While installing just a dehumidifier or just a sump pump may help out a little bit, the effect of these solutions is amplified by protecting them with vapor barriers
,and professional-grade crawl space vent covers.
Helpful Tips
- Check for Other Issues Around the Home. If you’re noticing crawl space problem signs like sagging or bouncy floors, higher energy bills, pests, and more, it’s likely that you’re dealing with other issues like concrete cracks, or basement leakage (if you have a combination home). Since many of these issues stem from the same outside causes, damage is being inflicted to your home in more ways than one. When our experts at Ohio Basement Systems inspect your home, we look at it from a holistic perspective so we can target the root cause and fix your home for good.
- Choose Professional Repairs Instead of DIY. Many in-store crawl space solutions like spray foam or dehumidifiers on their own may subside certain issues, but they won’t create the wholly dry and clean space you need. Spray foam in some cases can protect mold if the rest of your crawl space isn’t protected. Additionally, if your crawl space floods due to a broken or exposed vent, it can completely damage your dehumidifier.
- Go With A Local Repair Company. At Ohio Basement Systems, we have the expertise in the local terrain and weather patterns that equips us to best deal with the common issues you’re facing. We’ve seen it all, and can more precisely diagnose your issues. Though we’re experts in the most common crawl space issues, we still understand that all homes are unique and will require custom solutions.
Proudly Serving Northern Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland's wet weather can wreak havoc on your basement and foundation. Damage is common, but permanent repair and protection are achievable with our trusted team and solutions.

Youngstown, Ohio
Wet basements and settling foundations are common because of Youngstown’s consistent rain and problematic soils. Ohio Basement Systems can help you protect your home with trusted basement, foundation, crawl space, and concrete repair solutions.

Akron, OH
Wet basements and settling foundations are common in Akron. High-quality solutions from Ohio Basement Systems combat these forces for permanent repair and protection.

Mansfield, OH
Mansfield is home to a diverse number of soils vulnerable to poor drainage. This can cause structural issues to your property down the line—is your home protected?