In my last two articles, I discussed the correlation between outdoor moisture and crawlspace moisture, the elevated cost of heating and cooling due to vented dirt floor crawl spaces, and the ways that traditional construction methods actually cater to higher moisture levels in the crawl space. I also discussed how when the air is heated or cooled, there is a significant and direct effect on the relative humidity level. Lastly, I explained how it’s the water vapor that is most damaging because water vapor is actually relative humidity.
The average outdoor temperatures are nearly the same as the temperature of the earth. Because humidity is raised when the air is cooled (what happens all summer running air conditioning ducts in a vented dirt floor crawl space) summer poses a much greater threat than winter when it comes to moisture in your crawl space.
High humidity is conducive to mold growth as well as insect activity. It was once thought that if we vented crawl spaces, moisture would escape. What is actually happening is the opposite. We are inviting moisture INside as oppose to expelling it. Whatever the air condition is outside the crawlspace is not inside the crawl space and air flows upward and into the living space. Nearly all homes being built today are built on concrete block walls which are extremely porous and susceptible to moisture. Block was are less expensive than poured walls and cause numerous issues to homes. In short, what I am trying to convey is that chances are that if you are reading this and own a home, your probably throwing money out the window by maintaining a vented, dirt floor, crawl space. Here at ‘Arrayofsolutions.com’, we have done over 100 crawl spaces to date with an unparalleled satisfaction rate. We are able to encapsulate crawlspaces at a fraction of all of our competitor’s cost. Call Douglas R. Whitehead II at ‘Array of Solutions’. Goto ‘Arrayofsolutions.com’ or like us on FaceBook to see what our latest project is!