What Does My Foundation Vents Do?
Living in Central Virginia means that we are blessed with a very green landscape and a rich history. We also get to enjoy humid climates. However, maintaining a home in good conditions require keeping watch over the often-overlooked spaces in your home, such as your crawl space. Have you noticed the small openings around your foundation? Those are foundation vents, but what do the actually do for your home? While the answer is a bit complicated, understanding their role is crucial for effective moisture control and avoiding dangers like critters, snakes, and crawl space mold.
In a traditional crawl space, foundation vents were designed to allow air flow to move more freely and reduce moisture buildup. In theory this is a sound idea. However in areas with high humidity foundation vents can often create more damage than any sort of benefit.
Why Knowing About Foundation Vents Matters
You should be aware of how your foundation vents work (or DON’T work) in order to properly protect the health of your home and your family. Moisture in a crawl space that is left untreated can lead to a myriad of hazards, including:
- Crawl Space Mold: What happens when you put moisture onto surfaces in a dark and poorly ventilated area like a crawl space? Crawl space mold flourishes. This mold growth not only causes damage to the floor joists, sheet rock, insulation, and other areas, but it also impacts the air quality of your home when it releases mold spores which can lead to a host of health issues including increased allergies, and more.
- Structural Damage: Wood and other raw materials soaked in moisture weakens over time and causes rot to set in. It also attracts termites and other pests.
- Increased Energy Costs: If you have high humidity entering your crawl space through the vents, your HVAC system will work harder and leads to higher energy bill. Crawl space insulation can also be compromised by moisture.https://vanceinsulation.com/insulation-services-crawl-space/
The Problem with Vents in Humid Climates
Here’s the big issue with foundation vents that home inspectors have not yet addressed in the humid regions like Central Virginia:
Foundation vents often bring MORE moisture into the crawl space than they remove.
Think about it: When it is hot and muggy outside, the slightest breeze allows heavy humid air to flow through your vents. This condenses on cooler surfaces like floor joists, insulation, and other materials found under your home. This makes the moisture problem worse.
This is why many homeowners are now opting to seal their crawl space vents.
What You Should Do
Do you have foundation vents? Let’s evaluate a new moisture control strategy. Take these initial steps to determine if an alternative method for protecting your most valuable asset is right for you:
- Assess Your Crawl Space: Inspect your crawl space for signs of moisture, such as visible mold, damp wood, or standing water. Scared to go under there? Hire a professional like Vance Insulation to go under for you. We’ll do it free of charge! Find mold? We can fix that too with mold remediation services.
- Consider Crawl Space Encapsulation: You’ll notice a high frequency of Central Virginia homeowners choose for the most effective solution for them, an encapsulated crawl space. This involves sealing the crawl space floor with a vapor barrier, using spray foam on the foundation walls, and sealing off the vents. All of these steps reduce the risk of crawl space mold growth.
- Improve Drainage: Standing water in your crawl space is also dangerous and can occur from a variety of sources. Make sure you have proper drainage in your crawl space and around your home’s foundation. This may involve grading the soil, installing or improving crawl space drain tile, and ensuring gutters and downspouts are functioning correctly.
- Install a Sump Pump (if needed): A sump pump can automatically remove excess water, purging it from your crawl space back to the outside where it belongs and prevent flooding and moisture damage.
- Control Humidity: It’s often beneficial to install dehumidifiers to clean the moisture from the air and move it outside as well. This also prevents mold growth and keeps your crawl space dry and healthy.
- Proper Insulation: After addressing moisture issues, ensure your crawl space is properly insulated. This will help regulate temperature and reduce energy costs. Make sure the crawl space insulation is suitable for a humid environment. This can either be batt insulation, or spray foam insulation.
Why Sealing Vents is Gaining Popularity
It may seem odd that houses with crawl spaces, by code, have foundation vents installed, but by sealing the vents you are preventing humid air from entering from the outside. This, couple with a dehumidifier helps keep a dry and controlled crawl space environment. Sealing foundation vents is a key component of crawl space encapsulation.
Vance Insulation: Your Central Virginia Crawl Space Experts
Are you struggling with a crawl space that is moldy and damp? Don’t wait until the problem escalates to costly repairs of damages. Contact Vance Insulation today for a free inspection of your crawl space and a customized solution. Our team of experts can help you determine an ideal approach. Crawl space encapsulation is not the right answer for everyone, but we are your trusted choice for effective moisture control and a healthy home. We offer dehumidifier and sump pump installation, drain tile, and air sealing your crawl space. If you’re struggling with a damp, moldy crawl space, don’t wait until the problem escalates. We understand the unique challenges of Central Virginia’s climate and can tailor our solutions to your specific needs. Don’t let crawl space mold and moisture problems compromise your home – contact Vance Insulation today!
