Racoon in crawlspace

Furry visitors can cause serious problems for renovators. If you have ever experienced or heard about flea infestations, you'll know what I mean! In addition to fleas, cats and others little critters can be carriers of diseases that you'll want to avoid! A man working in a crawl space recently died from pneumonic plague after breathing the same air as an infected cat he had removed. Plague is a treatable but potentially fatal disease caused by bacterial infection.

Some things to remember about crawl spaces... especially those with earthen floors.

* Check for critters, and if need be, call the "pest people" before you go down there.

* Ventilate the area, especially when working down there.

* Wear a filter mask that will prevent inhalation of mould and mildew, etc.

* Light the area as well as possible, and carry a flashlight for back-up.

* Have a helper ready to assist you. (If you have an accident and can't get out, you might be down there for a while... and no one would even know!)

* Lower humidity levels to minimize fungal growth in your crawl space. This can be accomplished by ventilating the space in warm weather, and/or using a dehumidfier (the condensate, of course, must be directed outdoors or into a drain.

* Lowered humidity levels will also help prevent damage to wooden framing members - a wood moisture content of 20 percent is sufficient for growth of mould and mildew, which eventually rots the wood.

"Cat scratch fever is another common ailment that can be picked up in a crawl space. Spread in cat feces, this ailment used to be called Plumber's Disease, because they caught it so often. One home inspector contracted fungal infections of the lung after breathing humid crawl space air. Don't laugh, but when you cough, it tastes like mildew!" --Mark Cramer, writing in the ASHI Reporter, January 1995-(C) 1995, ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors)