Crawl Space Vents: The Enemy of a Healthy Home
It is a myth that venting your crawl space is recommended for a healthy crawl space. Many people have crawl space vents because they think that if they let air into and out of their crawl space, it drys out any moisture. Unfortunately, this is far from true. Here are some of the problems with a vented crawl space:
Vents Drive Up Humidity When It Is Hot Outside
Relative humidity means how much water the air is holding. So if it is 75% relative humidity outside, the air is 75% full of water. For every one degree we cool the air, relative humidity goes up by 2.2%. For instance, if your crawl space is 66 degrees and the temperature outside is 84 degrees with 75% relative humidity, when the vents allow the hot outside air to come into your cool crawl space, relative humidity rises by 48.4%. So when you add the 75% relative humidity to the new 48.4%, relative humidity is now at 123.4%. Since the air is now 123.4% full of water, the air has more water than it can contain. At 100% relative humidity, the air must "give up" its moisture, meaning condensation will then form on surfaces on your crawl space. Unfortunately, the air in your crawl space does not stay there. It rises into your home. Therefore, the moisture in the crawl space caused by vents will lead to mold growth throughout your home, wood rot, buckling floors in your home, a humid feeling in your home, and a musty odor.
Vents Waste Your Home's Energy, Hot or Cold
If it is cold outside, and vents allow the cold air to circulate under your home, then the floors in your home will be cold, and it will take more energy to warm the inside of your home. If it is hot outside, and vents allow hot air to circulate under your home, it will take more energy to cool your home. The key to energy conservation in any building is controlling air infiltration.If your crawl space is vented, it is like a giant hole in your house wasting your energy. Studies have shown that the energy loss is so substantial from a vented dirt crawl space, that you may as well ignore other energy saving hacks if you are not willing to fix your crawl space (https://www.advancedenergy.org/2017/06/13/taking-the-vents-out-of-vented-crawl-spaces/).
Our solution to dirt crawl spaces involves four steps:
1. Fix Groundwater seepage
2. Isolate the house from the earth
3. Block outside air
4. Condition the crawl space
The fact is, you will spend much more money fixing the symptoms of an unhealthy crawl space than you will letting us fix your crawl space. If you are interested in learning what we can do to help your crawl space problems, call 1-888-756-5967 to schedule a FREE, no obligation estimate with one of our specialists, or click "FREE ESTIMATE" at the top right corner of your screen.
