Vented versus Sealed Crawl Spaces

Vented dirt floor crawl spaces allows the moisture from damp air to mix with ground moisture. The result is a rich environment that produces mold, mildew, and fungus spores. These spores rise with the house's air currents and penetrate your home.

 

Advanced Energy and the US Department of Energy in the Princeville, NC Research project states that, "despite their intended design, wall vented crawl spaces frequently in cure moisture problems and degrade the thermal integrity of the building. ...... wall vented crawl spaces can compromise the occupants' health and cost them money in terms of unnecessarily high energy bills and building repairs."

Excess moisture in your home can reduce your home's value, separate and buckle hardwood floors, and possibly impair your family's health. Mold spores in particular, can cause serious respiratory problems in addition to potentially lowering the value of your home. Some mold and mildew spores aggravate allergies and asthma.

Some of the numerous problems caused by an overabundance of moisture are:

Mold & Mildew

Fungus

Pest Infestation

Odors

Rotting beams

Rusting pipes and supports

Beneath your floors, frigid air-conditioning pipes, ductwork, water pipes , and truss plates may be dripping condensation that promotes rotting and spore production.

Once the under-floor insulation becomes wet, the weight will eventually cause it to hang loose -- then fall.

Our system corrects moisture, humidity, and temperature within the crawl space. The result limits the production of mold spores and keeps your energy bills reasonable by keeping excessive moisture from under-floor and living areas.

 

Savings!

Advanced Energy and the Us Dept. of Energy in their NC Research project, compared the performance of energy and moisture characteristics within ventilated versus sealed crawl spaces in the South. Among their conclusions:

"15% or more average savings in energy to heat and cool houses with properly closed crawl spaces compared to houses with traditional vented crawl spaces."

"... the proper closing of crawl spaces can have beneficial moisture control AND substantial energy efficiency impacts."

"The relative humidity is always below levels that promote mold growth in the sealed crawlspace, while in the wall vented case; values exceed the critical levels for mold spore germination."

"The closed [crawl space] designs reduce the potential for mold growth by reducing occurrences of conditions that support mold growth...."

New Construction

Sealed crawl spaces are one of the new technologies that area builders are adopting to improve their product - your home. THERMAX insulation is Class 1 Fire Rated to a Max. 30 ft. high. Because of this, homeowners may qualify for reduced insurance premiums. Additionally, all THERMAX insulation products are among the most energy efficient in the marketplace. The energy efficiency is causing some home builders to seek Energy Star Certification on each house they will build.

Join the dozens of local builders who seal crawl spaces and waterproof foundations in their homes. After all, building code authorities will soon require builders to seal crawl spaces in all newly built homes. Sealed crawl spaces will be treated as an insulated, conditioned level.

It is less expensive to the homeowner to waterproof foundations and seal crawl spaces while the home is under construction - while the foundation walls are readily available. It is very difficult to retrofit an older home due to major space limitations. As a matter of fact, it can often cost twice as much to retrofit an older home than if it had been done during construction.

 

Benefits of a Sealed Crawl Space

According to a local home appraiser, the benefits of a sealed crawl space will immediately and positively impact the salability of your home. Sealed crawl spaces maintain consistent temperatures and will aid keeping moisture levels below 50-60% to give you:

  • Preservation of your home's value.
  • Lower utility bill by an estimated 15%.
  • Improved air quality
  • Significant reduction of mold, mildew and fungal spore production causing aggravations of asthma and allergies.
  • Restrict musty odors from seeping into your living ares.
  • Eliminate condensation on water pipes, air conditioning ductwork and equipment, truss plates and insulation.
  • Prevents separating and buckling of expensive hardwood floors.
  • Significant reduction of humidity in your living areas.

 

Retrofitting Older Homes

But what about your older home built with a vented crawl space and dirt floor now that vented crawl spaces are known to be the source of many household troubles?

How do you preserve your home's value? Seal the crawl space and block out mold, moisture and humidity.

Call AMCO Services, Inc. at 336-946-2308 and learn how easy it is to protect the value of your home while protecting the health of your family.

 

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