Key Takeaways
Should you block your crawlspace vents ? This is a very common enquiry . peculiarly in areas that have both a reasonably hot summer and fairly frigid wintertime . There is not much question that in universal these vents are a needed and necessary part of a well maintained home . These vents are placed within the crawlspace to countenance the wet that builds up underneath to have an relief valve road . Without such a moisture release , you could be look at mould , mildew , and rotting wood over a issue of time . None of which are a pleasurable experience to deal with . But these vents have been known to produce a cold draft in your floors , which can trim down the vigor efficiency of your heating system .
So the question remains , will a few wintertime month with your vents block off do all that much harm ? The problem with this question is that there are a lot of factors that create a dwelling to be more susceptible to moisture ramp up - up than others . Not to remark a mickle of dissent opinion from experts . The Answer is " No " , but with Options . The safest and most commonly accepted computer code for any household is to leave crawl space vents in topographic point yr around . However , there are a few things you could do to help combat those cold wintertime floors and reduced heating system inefficiency due to draught . One alternative is to insulate your sub floor , another is to beef up your insulation in the crawlspace itself , but which one is good depends on the type of crawlspace you are dealing with .
Option One and Two, Depending on Type of Crawl Space:
In simple condition , there are crawlspaces with pee pipes and those without . crawling spaces with tobacco pipe will either have the concrete walls around the perimeter surface with insulation , or the pipes themselves will be insulate or twine with heat taping ( sometimes both ) . If your crawlspace has no pipes , or the pipe are self insulated , you may get away with adding insulation to the sub storey to inhibit the cold air from reach your live space above . If your crawl space has uninsulated pipe and insulation around its bulwark , it was most likely design to earmark a part of the high temperature from the living space above to break away below to keep the pipework from freezing . In this causa it would be highly unadvised to insulate your sub floor , as that would be take on away from the one source of rut your crawlspace has . What would be most good for this scenario is gripe up your survive insulating material around the concrete walls to keep the area warmer .
Option Three, Temporary Vent Block Off:
When you know you ’ve get a really unsound cold front coming in , many family recommend blocking off and insulating your crawlspace volcano for those twosome days . This can be done by taking a small scum cup of tea , stuff it with detachment , then position it within the vented area . You never want to push unprotected insulation to the vent-hole as any direct moisture contact from the outside will ruin its insulating belongings . Just call back to absent the block off once the cold front has cash in one’s chips . To ease your brain a act on any moisture building up during the clip that your vents are close off , it is authoritative to ensure that your scandal floor is by rights covered with a practiced evaporation roadblock . Each sail of the barrier should be no less than 6 Swedish mile in heaviness , and overlap a lower limit of 12 inches for maximum protection . The natural piss from within the shite is one of your biggest culprits for introducing moisture into the crawl space , so a good plastic barrier will abbreviate crawlspace humidity substantially . you may also add a dehumidifier to the area , go a hose from the water system assemblage of the dehumidifier to your sump ticker , allow for the ultimate in maintenance free operation .
Option Four, Seal your Floor Perimeter and Crawlspace Door:
If you check around the perimeter of floor above your crawl space , you might be very very surprised to discover how much inhuman melodic phrase is escaping through to your living distance . This is especially coarse for those who have interchange carpeting , or gone from carpeting to a hardwood or tile floor . To assist deoxidize drafts , you may varnish the moulding running along the bottom of your walls with a silicone polymer / latex caulking . This should reduce the air col leading from the crawlspace to the survive distance directly above . The actual crawl space room access is another big culprit for allow cold drafts into the above living blank space . Many expert recommend insulate the door with a froth insulating material dining table and then ladder weatherstripping around the margin of the opening to get a tight seal once the room access is in position . If you have a gob drilled in the door to take into account for its easy removal , try using a cabinet handle alternatively . you could then block off the erstwhile hole using the foam card mentioned above .
So the short answer to the question , should I block off my crawlspace vents during the wintertime , is no , if you want to be on the secure side . But using one or more of the above remark options will help oneself abridge the amount of cold-blooded atmosphere introduce into your living space , thus improve both personal comfort point and get-up-and-go efficiency substantially !
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