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Posted by willshak on June 18, 2008, 12:27 pm
on 6/17/2008 11:05 PM aemeijers said the following:
> Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>>
>>> I was looking on the Internet for some Window Wells to prevent dirt
>>> from piling up near my crawl space vents. Then I see something like
>>> this on the Internet suggesting that the thinking is now to seal the
>>> vents to save on energy and keep out moisture?
>>>
>>> http://www.basementsystems.com/crawlspace/crawlspace_products/crawlsp...
>>>
>>>
>>> What is recommended, to seal the crawl space vents or leave them open
>>> for air flow?
>>
>> Ventilation is very important. It is much better to properly insulate
>> the floor joists in the crawl space than to seal off the vents. That
>> is what they are there for.
>>
>> ************************************************
>>
>> Curious, did you read the web page posted? What are you basing your
>> statements on?
>>
>> It states:
>> If Crawl Space Ventilation Doesn't Work, What's the Solution?
>> There is an informative article by Advanced Energy, a national
>> resource who focuses on applied building science, on venting crawl
>> spaces entitled, "To Vent or Not to Vent." [Download PDF]
>> Crawl space encapsulation is the solution! Seal the crawl space with
>> a vapor barrier, sealer the crawl space vents with vent covers, seal
>> any gaps or holes to the outside, seal the crawl space door - seal it
>> up as tight as possible.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Do you think it is possible that the thinking has changed and
>> engineering is proving the ventilation method is wrong?
>>
>
> Most modern houses I've seen with crawls don't even HAVE vents. When
> did Visqueen and similar become widely available? Late 1950s or so,
> IIRC? In the old days, there was no practical method to seal the dirt
> with a vapor barrier, and if you had a lot of ground moisture (due to
> climate, high water table, bad grading and poor footer drainage, etc),
> venting was the only way to keep it halfway dried out. A hundred years
> of tradition takes a few decades to fade away. Remember, in most parts
> of the country, concrete floors in basements (outside of big cities)
> didn't get common till the 20s and 30s. Of course back then, the
> cellar entrance was usually outside-only.
>
> --
> aem sends...
I agree with you there. If the dirt in the crawl space is covered with a
moisture barrier, then the vents can be sealed, but if the dirt
constantly gets wet from the conditions you noted, then the water vapor
is trapped inside, possibly causing rot of the wood above.
--
Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @
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