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We are planning a move to Greenville from the Northeast. We have never owned a home with a crawlspace. In researching this, we find that there are 2 types, those with vents and the unvented crawlspaces that are totally sealed to prevent outside humidity from entering and causing dampness with potentially mold.
Can anyone help us here? Does anyone have a sealed crawlspace and what do you think of it? Also, did you find it to be much more expensive than a vented crawlspace.
We would really appreciate any help anyone can offer here.....thanks.
Not sure I know what a sealed crawlspace is. We have slab homes & my house has a basement but it has vents. You might want to check with a home inspector to see if you can get a answer to that one.
I do not have a sealed crawlspace myself but it is the way to go...if you feel like paying for it. There are a few different ways to do it but in general, sealing and possibly conditioning (or at least dehumidifying) the crawl space is infinitely better than the "vents." The problem is that it costs more.
The vents are an old standby in the building code that is a little outdated and just hasn't been pushed out. I keep mine closed year round and just make sure I have a good vapor barrier down and I'm good to go. They really do not work as originally intended and in fact are counter productive for the time of the year they were originally intended for (the hot, humid summer).
Sorry, I guess I misunderstood. My mother in law had a poured concrete basement & apparently that is similar. She never had any problems but yes it does cost more. I open my vents in the summer and close them in the summer. That is what the inspector advised me to do.
I assume you meant open them in the summer and close them in the winter (which is what they used to tell you to do). Unfortunately, opening them in the summer doesn't actually do anything to keep the crawl space dry. When it's dry outside your crawl space will be dry (assuming you have a good vapor barrier) and when it's humid your crawl space will be humid. The openings do nothing but assist in the migration of the moisture from the outside in.
It's not the end of the world because obviously people have been doing it for awhile now and not everyone has major moisture problems in their crawl space. Just giving you a heads up that it doesn't actually help.
Thank you and I agree from what we have read. Apparently, leaving the vents open just lets in the humid air.
We were also concerned about the air quality in the home from a closed in crawl space. It looks as if specific measures have to be taken to ensure the air in the home is stable and of a good nature.
Have you noticed any issues with the air in your home with the vents closed? Thanks again.
It may depend upon the scrawl space, too. My crawl space was nearly six feet deep. inside a ring of building blocks sealed by the sill. It was dry and bug free. The above ground crawl space is different matter. sealed is better, but you have to access to it. Mine was through the floor of a closet.
Thank you and I agree from what we have read. Apparently, leaving the vents open just lets in the humid air.
We were also concerned about the air quality in the home from a closed in crawl space. It looks as if specific measures have to be taken to ensure the air in the home is stable and of a good nature.
Have you noticed any issues with the air in your home with the vents closed? Thanks again.
Really, just making sure your crawl space is not extra humid is the important thing. I'd simply recommend keeping the vents closed and having a good vapor barrier down on the dirt floor if you get a house that already has vents or if you build, get a contractor to seal it off properly who does that regularly.
You can get people to check the humidity in the crawl space of a home you own, or if you are considering buying a house you can have the inspector check the humidity levels (needs to be done anyway0.
Yes, I did mean closed in the winter. Must be these hot temps getting to me. I have a fan installed that can be set also. When the humidity reaches a certain point, it comes on.
Thanks everyone....your input has been very helpful.
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