Reminder: Your Crawl Space Vents Need to Go

If you’re anything like me, you’ve taken advantage of the nice weather this week to open your windows. And then close them after about ten minutes because it snowed a few weeks ago but now it’s already 85 degrees and spring is a myth created by the novelty yard decor industry.

But regardless of the weather, know what doesn’t need open windows? Your crawl space. If your crawl space still has open vents, it’s the same as having open windows under your home. The first hint of warm weather usually leads everyone to try and air out their house as much as possible, so this seemed like a good time for a refresher.

A few decades ago, the building industry was invaded by the school of thought that homes needed air circulation in order to prevent stale air and mold. Thus, crawl space vents became the norm in new construction.

What no one was thinking of is that, with air circulation, comes everything else from outside. This includes rain, dirt, and critters of all shapes and sizes. It was soon realized that the vents were doing more harm than good by exposing the crawl space - and the home above it - to the elements. So vents fell off of recommended building practices.

However, there are plenty of homes across Michigan - especially up north - that were built during the vent heyday and are still suffering the consequences. Moisture and mold in a vented crawl space can exacerbate allergies, raise energy bills, and even damage the structural integrity of the home by warping and rotting the floor joists.

As a part of the CleanSpace crawl space encapsulation system, we install vent covers to create an airtight seal in the crawl space. This prevents water, air, and everything outside from making its way into your crawl space, and your home.

If you still have open vents in your crawl space, you might as well leave your windows open all year. Or you could call us and take care of the problem once and for all.