Moisture & Mold Risk Checker
Found water or mold under the house? Answer 8 quick questions to see how urgent it is, whether there is a safety hazard, and what to do first. Your answers stay in your browser.
Safety warning: water and electricity
- Stay out of the crawl space and keep children and pets away. Do not step into standing water.
- Do not touch wiring, cords, outlets, pumps or equipment that may be wet or near water.
- Only switch off power at your main panel if you can reach it from a completely dry spot. If not, call your electric utility.
- Call a licensed electrician to make the area safe before anyone, including a crawl space contractor, goes in.
How this tool works
The checker looks first for hazards, then for urgency. Standing water near wiring or equipment always triggers a safety warning, and water that may come from sewage or flooding triggers a contamination notice. After that, each answer adds points. Mold covering more than about 10 square feet, a soaking that was not dried within 24–48 hours, mold in the HVAC system or a high point total puts you in the urgent band. A moderate total is "elevated", and a low one means you can plan the work without rushing.
The 10-square-foot and 24–48-hour figures come from EPA mold guidance: small areas can often be cleaned by a homeowner, while larger areas, contaminated water and mold in HVAC systems call for professionals. Whatever the size, mold returns unless the moisture source is fixed. Learn more in crawl space mold health risksand standing water under the house, or see what mold remediation andcrawl space waterproofing include. For a fuller picture, try the crawl space health assessment.
Disclaimer: this tool gives general information only. It is not medical, electrical or remediation advice. If anyone has health symptoms, talk to a doctor. When in doubt about safety, stay out and call a licensed professional.