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Venting Crawl Spaces
Crawl Space Vents and Vapor Retarders Protect
Homes from Moisture Damage
By: Mark J. Donovan
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Venting crawl spaces is critical
for protecting the longevity of a home. An unventilated crawl space is a
harbinger for mold and mildew due to ground moisture build up in the crawl
space. Moreover, crawl space moisture has the tendency to condense onto
crawl space framing and subfloor sheathing surfaces, which over time can
lead to rot, and threaten the overall structural integrity of the home.
Decades ago houses were built so
loosely that venting crawl spaces was unnecessary. |
Today, however, homes are built much
tighter and thus moisture can become easily trapped in the home where dangerous
molds and mildew can form. A crawl space is on the front lines for accumulating
ground moisture and being threatened by mold, mildew and rot since it is in
direct contact with the ground. Consequently venting crawl spaces is necessary
to protect the home from structural damage and the threat of molds and mildew.
Normally a crawl space has several
rectangular vents dispersed around the crawl space. The crawl space vents are
designed to be opened and closed. Frequently I get asked the question on when
should they be opened. The answer is tricky and really depends upon where you
live and weather conditions.
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The theory behind venting crawl
spaces is to open them when the outside air is warm and moist, and close them
when the air is cold and dry. The thought process is that by opening the crawl
space vents during warm and moist weather conditions the moist air will exit the
home. However, I have to say that I have been in many crawl spaces during hot
summer days, when the crawl space vents are open, and they still feel very damp.
There are powered crawl space vents
with motorized fans that can help to draw the moist air out, but in my opinion
they are just a more expensive solution for treating a symptom rather than the
actual problem.
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| To really solve crawl space moisture problems, the ultimate
solution is to prevent the ground moisture from actually entering the crawl
space altogether. The best way to do this is to install a vapor retarder,
or moisture barrier, on the floor of the crawl space. The moisture barrier
should partially fold up the sides of the basement crawl space and be
fastened to the basement walls with either a special tape or with pressure
treated framing lumber to create a tight seal.
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Additionally, sand and then gravel
should be installed over the vapor retarder to allow you to move on the crawl
space floor without damaging the vapor retarder.
| By installing a vapor retarder you can effectively
eliminate the bulk of the ground moisture permeating up from the crawl
space floor, and as a result eliminate the need for venting the crawl space
altogether. This said, I would still suggest including the crawl space
vents in conjunction with the moisture barrier. By doing both you will
eliminate the threat of crawl space moisture and be sure to satisfy your
local building inspector. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
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