Fieldale and its houses
Our main service area is Northern Virginia. We also connect property owners in Martinsville and Henry and Patrick counties with local crews, and Fieldale is one of the communities we cover.
Fieldale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Henry County, with no town government; the county provides services. Its village is laid out on a compact grid of streets above the river, with Collinsville to the east, Bassett and Stanleytown upriver to the west, and Martinsville a short drive southeast.
Many village houses date from the early and middle twentieth century: frame and brick homes on brick or block foundations, often with a small cellar or a crawl space and plumbing that has been updated in stages. Newer homes sit around the edges and out along the county roads. Houses in the village are generally on public water and sewer; homes farther out are more likely to have wells and septic.
Winter: the crawl space and the freeze
Winters here are usually mild, which is exactly why a hard freeze catches houses out. In a Fieldale crawl space, supply lines often run close to the foundation vents and the access door, and when a cold night drops well below freezing, those are the lines that split. Nothing leaks until the ice melts. Then water sprays onto the soil or vapor barrier under the house, where nobody sees it for hours or days.
By the time the floor feels damp or the house smells musty, the insulation between the joists has usually soaked through and sagged. It comes out. Standing water is extracted, torn vapor barrier is replaced, and dehumidifiers run in the crawl space with the vents closed until the joists, sill plates and subfloor read dry.
Before winter, close the vents, insulate exposed pipes, and make sure the access door seals. If the house will be empty during a cold spell, keep the heat on or shut off the water and drain the lines.
Old foundation, old drain or new leak? We'll help.
Get Straight Answers NowThe wet months: old foundations and groundwater
After weeks of spring rain or a slow-moving summer storm, the ground in the valley stays saturated. That's when older foundations show their age. Brick foundations absorb water and can lose their surface where they freeze wet. Concrete block has hollow cores that fill during a wet spell and release water into a cellar for days. The mortar in both softens over decades and lets water through the joints.
Most of these cellars and crawl spaces were never meant to be bone dry. Some dampness after long rain is normal for them. Drying brings the masonry back to its usual condition, measured against a dry section of the same wall, and protects what's built against it: framing, a furnace or water heater on the floor, stored belongings.
The lasting fix is outside: gutters and downspouts that carry water away, grading that falls from the walls, and nothing piled against the foundation that holds moisture.
From the shut-off to the last moisture reading.
Get the Water Stopped and DriedAutumn: leaves, roots and the old drain
Fall brings two slow problems. The first is leaves: mature trees along the older streets fill gutters, and overflowing gutters soak the ground right beside the foundation just as the season turns wet. The second is roots, which find their way into older drain lines over the growing season.
Many Fieldale houses still have cast-iron drains, at least in part: the stack from the bathroom and the horizontal line under the house to the sewer. Cast iron corrodes from the inside over the decades. Scale builds up, the bottom of horizontal runs wears thin, and joints crack. Add roots at the joints outside the house, and a drain can start backing up or weeping under the floor.
A sewer smell under the house, a damp patch beneath a bathroom or clogs that keep coming back are worth a plumber's camera. Any water from a drain is treated as contaminated during cleanup, so soaked porous materials are removed and surfaces are cleaned before drying.
Clean the gutters after the leaves drop, and if the drains are slow, have the line checked before the holidays bring a full house.
Outside the village? We'll help shut the well off.
On a Well? Call UsFieldale service area
We connect homeowners, landlords and tenants across ZIP code 24089: the village streets and the homes along the county roads around it. When you call, we'll tell you plainly when a crew can reach you and help you stop the water in the meantime.
ZIP codes served: 24089
Around Fieldale
Fieldale is part of our Martinsville, Henry & Patrick service area. Neighboring pages cover Collinsville, Bassett, Stanleytown, Spencer and the City of Martinsville.
Services for Fieldale homes
- Frozen Pipe Burst Cleanup
- Structural Drying & Dehumidification
- Sewage Backup Cleanup
- Storm & Heavy Rain Water Damage
- Appliance Leak Water Damage
- Burst Pipe Water Damage
Water or sagging insulation under the floor.
Call About Your Crawl SpaceFieldale water damage questions
Is Fieldale a town?
No. Fieldale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Henry County, with no town government; the county provides services. It has a village center and its own ZIP code, 24089, which we serve in full.
Our house in the village has a small cellar and a crawl space. Which gets wet first?
Usually the cellar after long rain, because it's lower and its walls hold back more soil. The crawl space more often gets wet from a frozen or leaking pipe. Both are checked on every call, since water can travel between them along the foundation.
We're outside Fieldale. Will a crew come?
Yes. We connect homes across the Fieldale area, including those on the county roads beyond the village. We'll give you an honest estimate of timing rather than a promise.
What should a Fieldale owner do with a frozen pipe that hasn't burst?
Open the faucet it feeds and warm the area slowly with room heat or a hair dryer. Never use an open flame. If you can't reach it, call a plumber, and know where the main shut-off is first.
What about the insulation in a Fieldale wall?
Wet fiberglass holds water against the studs and flattens, so it's removed once the wall is opened and replaced after the cavity dries. Crawl-space insulation is treated the same way.
Roots keep blocking the sewer line at our Fieldale house. What can be done?
Roots enter through joints in older lines. A plumber can camera the line, clear it and repair or replace the damaged section.
After a heavy storm, how do we know if Fieldale water came from the roof or the ground?
Ceiling stains and water high on a wall point to the roof or gutters. Water at floor level, in a cellar or crawl space, points to the ground.
Where is the main water shut-off usually in a Fieldale house?
Where the line enters the house, often in the crawl space or cellar near the front wall, or at the meter box by the street. Find it and test it.
What happens after a drain or sewer backup in Fieldale?
It's handled as contaminated water. Soaked carpet, pad and lower drywall are removed, surfaces are cleaned and disinfected, and the area is dried.