Open crawl space vents let humid air into your crawl space. Florida experiences high levels of humidity, so you can see how this becomes problematic for your crawl space. When humidity gets below your home, it creates the perfect environment for mold, wood rot, or pest infestations.
Crawl Space Vents
Frequently Asked Questions
It may seem counterintuitive that open vents actually cause humidity problems below your crawl space. After all, we open windows in our homes if we want to make it cooler, right?
Well, crawl spaces might cool down for a bit, but when humid air enters your crawl space, it begins to make the dirt, wood, floor, and walls of your home and crawl space wet. Plus, open vents allow your crawl space to become a victim of the stack effect.
The stack effect is simple. Hot air rises into the home while cold air sinks below the home. When air enters your crawl space, it will either rise into your home immediately or sink and fester in the crawl space depending on the air temperature. Since hot air is prevalent throughout Florida, it usually rises immediately upon entering your crawl space.
That means muggy, hot air penetrates your home’s interior every time outside air comes through an open vent (which is all the time). When this happens, your home experiences increased energy bills as the HVAC system works on overdrive to cool your home and reduce excess moisture. Plus, increased moisture around your home puts it at risk for mold buildup, poor air quality, and damage later on.
You could close your crawl space vents, but this won’t solve the problem. While the process might slow down, most vents are not watertight, so moisture will still seep its way into your crawl space can cause many of the same issues anyway.
How to Solve the Problem
Reach out to a professional foundation repair service like Alpha Foundations. There are various tools that professional companies use to mitigate moisture levels in a crawl space. Encapsulation ensures that your crawl space becomes a controlled space, while drainage and dehumidification systems keep your crawl space dry.
Professional foundation experts can also install crawl space vent covers to further ensure no air or moisture gets into your crawl space. If you suspect crawl space issues in your home, or if you just want to get ahead of any potential damage, reach out to Alpha Foundations for a home inspection and a free quote on any services you might need to keep your home safe.
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