Do Foundation Vents Actually Work?

Eliminating Moisture Out Of Your Crawl House

Fallacy #four – Venting will scale back crawl space moisture ranges. Venting will only assist cut back crawl house moisture levels when the skin air is dryer than crawl house air, or when sufficient sizzling outdoors air enters and warms the crawl space. Outside air in the summer may actually include extra moisture than crawl house air, and will make the situation worse, not higher. In winter, venting will help dry a crawl space, sometimes to a detrimental extreme. In reality, venting will only assist scale back crawl space moisture levels when the surface air is dryer than crawl house air, or when sufficient hot outside air enters and warms the crawl space. Almost 70% of the homes in South Carolina have crawl space foundations.

The negative influence of the excessive moisture could be substantial. Numerous instances I’ve seen homes with crawl area vents that look like they’ve been lined for the last 30 years. Those crawl spaces usually have the worst insect and rot injury. If you have to close your vents throughout winter I extremely encourage you to do it only when the temperature drops beneath 32⁰. Otherwise, keep them open when the temperature is persistently above freezing to keep away from moisture-associated problems. Of course, sealing your crawl house vents isn’t going to solve all of your issues.

In conclusion, it’s fair to say the crawl area vents open or closed debate has reached its resolution, and at JES, we’ll work with you to provide the proper repairs for your residence’s crawl house moisture issues. Since moisture is such a problem in crawl areas, addressing moisture issues is the primary priority in closing a crawl space. Exterior water must be directed away from the muse with correct grading of the lot and correct dealing with of roof runoff.

Ought To I Shut The Vents To My Crawl House Within The Winter?

Ought To I Close My Crawl Space Vents Through The Summer Season Months In South Carolina?

Blocking the vents to the crawl space below your home helps hold the world a bit hotter and saves a couple of dollars on your heating prices. How a lot you can save varies greatly on the dimensions or kind of home and the amount or type of insulation you have in the crawl area. To state it merely, utilizing exterior air to ventilate a crawl area solely provides more moisture to the realm — it doesn't dry it out. Furthermore, wall-vented crawl spaces permit condensation, surface mould progress, high wood moisture content and rotting wooden to increase.

The motion of cold air via the space is slowed and therefore somewhat hotter than if the vents have been open. Blocking vents on a house with underfloor insulation can still lower your expenses however has minimal influence.

I see drawback-free crawl spaces with wood moisture contents of 16%. A wooden moisture content of 16% relates to air at about 80% RH. The dew point temperature of a crawl space at 75F/eighty% RH is about 68F. Why in the world would I need to vent this crawl area with air that has a dew point temperature close to 75F? The end result will be condensation on all of the cool surfaces within the crawl space.

• Also, if temperatures routinely drop under freezing, pipes within the crawl area are more likely to freeze if the vents are open.
• Now, most individuals close their crawl house vents within the wintertime to maintain the chilly out in order that the chilly air doesn't freeze the pipes underneath the house.
• During the winter months, leaving the vents open reduces the vitality efficiency of your house by permitting chilly air to leak in from the surface.
• Over time, this constant moisture leads to mould development and rotted wooden.
• One school of thought has at all times been to shut vents through the winter and open them in the course of the summer time to permit moisture to flee.
• If you’ve obtained fiberglass insulation, this can also take up moisture to the purpose that it sags and falls out.

We construct extra crawl area foundations than any other state in the nation. These issues include mold and decay, elevated radon ranges, and termite and other pest considerations. We see condensation on ductwork, mildew on joists, termite and wood boring beetle injury and cupped hardwood floors. Our current answer is to extend ventilation of the crawl space. Foundation vents are as their name implies, put in alongside the muse of your house. These louvered steel vents enable air to flow into throughout a basement or crawl space and stop dangerous moisture from increase beneath the house. Because crawl house vents provide no worth to a home, it's best to cowl them up.

When To Close Crawl Space Vents

In the winter, when the air is drier and there's less humidity, the vents could be closed in order that the water and sewage pipes wouldn’t freeze. The solely approach to stop this course of is to keep the moisture out. At the very least, you have to maintain your vents to your crawl house closed in the warmth of summer time (and winter as properly, however that’s another article). An even better resolution is to chop foam board the precise measurement of the vent and press it into place to dam all air from penetrating. The greatest answer is to utterly seal your crawlspace and eliminate the problem completely. Because moist crawl spaces trigger the humidity in your home to rise which makes you uncomfortable and makes your HVAC work more durable costing you more money.

Must You Completely Close The Vents In Your Crawl Space?

Crawl Area Moisture Solutions

If you're experiencing mould in your crawlspace, there are a number of solutions you can look into for coping with the moisture problem that led to the mould growth. The easiest approach to close foundation vents for the winter is to plug them from the skin with foam blocks made specifically for this objective. As you do this chore, examine to ensure that the vent screens are intact so that bugs and different critters don’t make a house under your house. Air Vent makes ones that open at about 70 levels F, close about forty, and don’t require any electrical energy.