If you are thinking about putting vents in your crawl space then you should do a quick assessment first and you should decide if vents are a good idea. There are important things you should look for and check before you get started. Adding crawl space vents is very time consuming and might not do the job. There are other ways to decrease the moisture in your crawl space and adding vents has not been proven effective.
Adding vents to the crawl space is not something that is recommended. It is advised that vents in the crawl space actually pull air from the outside, creating a home that is not energy efficient. This allows you’re heating and air-conditioning bills to sky rocket and it draws moisture into the home, which is something you’re trying to prevent.
Most people now are putting vent covers on their old vents. These vent covers are best if made out of a hardy plastic as to prevent any rust from starting. After vent covers are put on old vents, an entire encapsulation process is usually started.
If you are thinking about crawl space vents, try doing an entire encapsulation instead. That means that you will provide an exit for moisture in a different way than adding vents. By adding vapour seal barriers you can actually keep mould, mildew and decay away. Putting in a whole moisture protection system will also ensure that pests like, termites and carpenter ants stay away.
The first thing you will want to do is put in efficient grading and drainage to your crawl space area. This will keep dirt and rain water away. You can then isolate the crawl space from moisture by lining the whole space with thick and strong vapour barriers. These barriers should also be puncture resistant and multilayered with 20 mil poly sheets.
When the plastic barriers are in place you can use mastic tape to seal any seams and caulk around seal openings in the walls. Strips and caps can be added to ensure a tight fit. Putting a conditioner in the crawl space to blow air from the above into the space or adding a dehumidifier, will keep the air quality and humidity where it should be.
Always make sure that if you have crawl space vents, that you never leave them open and use fans to blow air from the outside into the crawl space, and that you don’t use fans to blow air out of the crawl space. You will also want to make sure that you don’t install a liner on the concert floor without removing all organic debris and insulation from crawl space floor first.
Properly setting up your crawl space for success, means that you have researched your project and have received expert advice from the source you are buying the materials from. Don’t skimp out on important details that will only hurt you down the road. If you do the project right the first time, you won’t have to repeat it in a few years or have issues arise that you thought you would never have to face.