Canal Seepage and Summer Groundwater: Why Crawlspaces Get Wet in July
Where the valley's groundwater comes from, and why it peaks in summer.
MERIDIAN · BRIDGETOWER
Water Damage Restoration in BridgeTower
Musty air at the crawlspace hatch, or a wet wall in a BridgeTower home? Freeze, leak or groundwater, one number.
- Drying, mitigation and repair
- Meridian-area restoration companies
- Ada & Canyon County
BridgeTower: Block Notes
- Built: a large community east of Ten Mile Road on Ustick, built out through the 2000s and 2010s
- Under the floor: crawlspaces under most homes
- Nearest canal or drain: irrigation laterals and drains around the community's ponds and common areas
- What usually fails first: crawlspace moisture in summer, appliance and supply lines inside
Ustick and Ten Mile, Built Around Its Own Water
BridgeTower spreads east of Ten Mile Road along Ustick, one of the communities that turned northwest Meridian's fields into neighborhoods. Like a lot of the valley's newer subdivisions, it was laid out around the irrigation water that already crossed the land. That's pleasant to live beside, and it's also part of why crawlspaces here can see more moisture in July than in January. What you see is usually a smell before anything else: musty air when the hatch opens, or a damp feel in a closet over the crawlspace. What it usually means is moisture under the house, from the ground or from a leak. What happens next is a look under the floor with a light and a meter.
From BridgeTower Kitchens and Crawlspaces
If the crawlspace is wet, the insulation between the joists is the first thing a company checks. Wet batts hold water against the subfloor and keep the floor above from drying.
The pages that fit most BridgeTower calls: ceilings, walls and drywall, floors and carpet, crawlspaces and basements, frozen and burst pipes, or the full restoration and mitigation job.
A dated photo of the crawlspace each summer gives a company something to compare against when you call.
Field Notes for BridgeTower
Crawlspace, Slab or Basement: A Treasure Valley House-Type Guide
What your house is sitting on, and where water goes in each.