Water In Crawl Space

[gojira]

I saw a modular home yesterday which had water in the crawl space. The thing is, I'm in Oklahoma and we've had record floods here, the lake near me hit an all time high elevation this past week for example. I'm sure if it weren't for this flooding there wouldn't be any water in the crawl space, yet, there IS water in the crawl space as it stands right now. I'm not exactly sure what I should call for here to remedy the problem, but I'm pretty sure something needs to be done in order for this home to meet FHA standards.

Have any of you dealt with this first hand before or does anyone have a recommendation on what I should call for to remedy the problem? Obviously I could just call for it to be pumped out, but that doesn't solve any future issues.

Thanks as always!!

 

[Meandering]

If there was water yesterday, is it still there today? will it be there tomorrow? Does the property appear to have a history of taking in water? Is there mold or algae growing in the crawl space? What does the homeowner say?

"During rare weather events, such as the recent hurricane, many properties have taken on water that previously did not exhibit evidence of water damage or drainage issues. Due to the historic weather event, I can not judge if this is a problem that will persist or that may be repeated in the near term future. A home inspector should be contacted to judge the acceptability of the lot drainage for future weather events. I did not see any indication of mold, mildew or organic growth that would indicate moisture as a typical presence in the crawl space."

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[RSW]

I agree with Marion. I would make the appraisal subject to an inspection of the crawlspace by a qualified professional and any needed repairs if found.

 

[LordofTexas]

I had a diviorced friend of ours call us over to look at what she thought was an FAU problem. It turns out, the return air ducts from a secondary bedroom and the main bedroom at floor level actually ran UNDER the slab. With the persistent 3 weeks of rain, I told her the ground was so saturated that water most likely has seeped into mole trails (very prevelant here) and then into the previously dirt encased air ducts. I could see and smell mold, there was at least 1 to 2 inches of runny muck inside the ducts, and I gave her a possible solution to rework the return ducts up through the attic and how to seal off the ducts. But, I told her to call her HVAC buddy and get advice from him too. He comes out and says it should be no problem once it dries out! This was his advice even though water had risen up from two feet and out the ducts and she has been sickly for over a week now!
So, I think you should do what is required of you along with stating the most likely cause of it. It doesn't matter if it will go away or not, a Lender wants it gone before funding IMO.

 

[Michigan CG]

............ does anyone have a recommendation on what I should call for to remedy the problem? ............

 

[gojira]

Thank you Marion. Answers like that are exactly why this place is an invaluable resource for me and why I am more than happy to donate.

 

[Sid Holderly]

If the water disappears in a week you may be OK (ground water returning to near normal). If it stays wet too long there may be problems. This often occurs in the flatlands of the Midwest after large storms. Code requires sump pumps in craw spaces of new homes forlast several years.

 

[Eli]

VA lenders handbook sect 12.03, crawl space says excessive dampness or water in crawl space has to corrected. Gutters with subsurface drainage system might be an option. Need a professional to look at it and correct it

 

[OSU Beavers]

Broken or leaky pipe. I found one of these under a Manufactured Home too.

 

[Eli]

Broken or leaky pipe. I found one of these under a Manufactured Home too.

There you go. WE DONT know., but with expert opinion in hand on something like crawl space water, we can rock and roll on value.