Why vents in crawl space

Think of the hot air escaping through your attic as pulling the air pressure in your home upward. This pulls the air from your crawl space through your floorboards and into your living space. If the air in your crawl space is humid and moldy, the air quality in your home will suffer. Building codes are catching up to the new methods of sealing up the vents underneath a home. Benefits are being studied and recommendations are slowly changing to reflect this.

The first step to a closed system is dealing with any standing water issues. Crawl spaces are occasionally dug below the water line and are apt to flooding when heavy rains hit. Proper drainage is essential to eliminating this moisture. Vapor seals are to be placed along the ground, around support beams, and along the walls.

Insulation is then placed along the walls to keep out the elements. Air quality drastically improves inside the home once the crawl space vents are sealed. The possibility of structural damage to the home is reduced as the risk of mold growth is reduced. This improves the longevity of the house and maintains the quality of wooden surfaces. Since many homes have had open crawl space systems for a long time, a conversion process will be necessary.

Your home would be safer and healthier if you cover the vents. Sealing and controlling ventilation is the way to go. Various studies have shown that ventilated crawl spaces do more harm than good to your home. Vents let in excess moisture during humid and wet weather conditions. And this can raise humidity levels and foster various problems. Your biggest worry should be condensation , a phenomenon that occurs when warm outside air comes into contact with cooler crawl space air.

Condensation can trigger mold growth, which can range from light spotting to heavy staining as well as wood rot, decay, and rust.

Over time, condensation can cause water puddles to form on the crawl space floor. The passive intrusion of humid air via vents can also contribute to a weaker support structure.

This can lead to potentially expensive repairs. A crawl space measuring 1, square feet can produce up to 10 gallons of moisture in a day, rising into your home and causing a number of issues besides forcing your HVAC to work even harder.

Another concern is that venting can affect the quality of indoor air in the home. Upward moving air can carry with it mold spores, dust, pollutants, and allergens. All these can make the indoor air unbreathable. AdvantaClean Systems, Inc. Cookies help track user website behavior for functionality, analytics, and marketing and may share your information with third parties.

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Vote: seal off crawl space vents Jesse Waltz, a foundation engineer, votes to seal off crawl space vents altogether. Vote: open and close crawlspace vents seasonally In a recent article published by This Old House Magazine, co-owner of Silva Brothers' Construction Tom Silva votes to open and close crawlspace vents seasonally. The science behind crawlspaces As air rises in a home, it carries with it the air that was previously in the crawl space.

How to open and close crawlspace vents If you decide to not seal off crawl space vents year-round, the simplest way to close your crawlspace vents for the winter is to plug them from the outside with foam blocks made specifically for crawlspaces. Already experiencing moisture or mold in the crawlspace?

AdvantaClean offers crawl space moisture control solutions: Crawl space inspection Moisture control products Crawl space insulation Crawl space vapor barrier Crawl space encapsulation - AdvantaSeal Controlling moisture and humidity in the home Black mold removal Drainage and sump pump installation - AdvantaDrain More info?

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