Kingston: Why Is My Crawlspace Wet Every Winter?

Why this happens in Kingston

A silted or outlet-less footing drain: corrugated pipe laid in native soil without fabric silts shut in a few decades, and the daylight outlet is usually buried or crushed. In Kingston that usually means brittle well lines on Indianola Road parcels near White Horse, and the ground, outwash near Appletree Cove, decides how far the water travels before you see it.

The second thing we rule in or out is a leaking water service line. If the crawlspace is wet with no rain, or wet in August, or wet on the side facing the meter, do the meter test. It's common enough on ferry-town lots near Highway 104 that we never skip it.

Don't overlook downspouts dumping at the foundation. A 2,000-square-foot roof sheds over a thousand gallons in an inch of rain. On Kingston properties from 1970s-to-1990s acreage with a newer core near the ferry it comes up more than you'd think.

Before you call

Footing drains and interceptor drains are routine here.

What you can check yourself on shoreline lots on Miller Bay: do the five-minute meter test to rule the water line in or out. Note which side of the crawlspace the water enters from. If you get that far, we'll pick it up from there with cleanouts and outlet structures and sump basins where needed.

What happens next

In Kingston the work that follows the diagnosis is footing drain repair, and it runs in order: excavate the foundation, diagnose, remove and replace. Copper and galvanized near the terminal in hardpan saturated from November to May sets the pace on long gravel driveways through fir; the sequence doesn't change.

Our Kingston coverage for wet crawlspace runs Highway 104, Miller Bay Road, Appletree Cove, Arness Park and everything between. We're based in Central Kitsap, up Highway 3 and across on 104, with cleanouts and outlet structures and pumps on the truck.