Are you planning on shutting your foundation vents this winter? (Apex: Home Depot, home inspectors)

[BayVillage]

Closed in colder months to keep out bitter cold drafts and open in warmer months to allow circulating air that will cut down on humidity/moisture build up.

[GucciLittlePiggie]

i've also never heard of this. but i've spent a good amount of my life in the frozen north and never had my pipes freeze. never really thought about it, i guess. is this a situation that is somehow mitigated by housing design up north, or am i just oblivious?

[CHTransplant]

This topic has been discussed at length:

//www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...hat-do-my.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...l-space-3.html

[trayandtom]

Just curious what purpose they actually serve if they should be closed year round?

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by trayandtom

Just curious what purpose they actually serve if they should be closed year round?

Read the previous threads linked above. Lotsssssssssssssssss of good discussion

[J. Trent Hicks]

Sacredgrooves is a genius!

Listen to folks that are in the business and are in hundreds of crawlspaces each year. We see WAYYYY to many that are a total mess!

There are several knowledgeable folks who post here. Listen to them.

Advanced Energy/NCSU research supports this direct and simple answer:

In the Southeastern United States, close and seal crawlspace foundation vents.

Reference:http://www.crawlspaces.org/

Our climate is different here. Trust me, you do not want a "rainforest" environment under your home.

J. Trent

[joey2000]

Originally Posted by BayVillage

Closed in colder months to keep out bitter cold drafts and open in warmer months to allow circulating air that will cut down on humidity/moisture build up.

Exactly

[trayandtom]

Okay J Trent. I went to the link and it does look like you should close them to me. This of course is the opposite of what a neighborhood rep told us. Question-does a builder have to change anything if you are planning on keeping then close?

[goat1of2]

I have read the many excellent articles which sacredgrooves and others have recommended and I have finally CHANGED MY MIND--crawlspaces should be sealed. However, retrofitting an old house for sealing may not be possible. The largest problem is keeping water out. Nearly impossible unless your house sits atop a knoll. How many do? Old houses don't have french drains (or they may be silted up). Keeping the water out of an existing, poorly-built crawlspace is a BIG challenge and one I'm not prepared to pay for.

For now, I'm opening those vents and crawlspace doors whenever we have low-humidity days.

[boardjnky4]

Run your heat at LEAST at 55* while you are not home, and you won't have any problems either way.

Good point on the summer humidity, I am gonna take that into account. Maybe sealing them up will keep those pesky camel crickets out too.