Dehumidifier is Good, Conditioned Air is Better and The Best is Both! A Crawl Space Dehumidifier is Good A good quality crawl space dehumidifier that is sized properly for the crawl space will make the difference between one that gets the job done efficiently and one that does not, but makes you feel good until you get the electric bill. Not all crawl space dehumidifiers are created to do the same job. Yes they are made to dehumidify but all have different capabilities and when you have one designed for a bedroom trying to control an entire crawl space you will have failure. Keep in mind its not about the price, meaning more expensive is better. The key to proper dehumidification is proper air flow and proper water removal, in that order. If you can’t get the moist air to the crawl space dehumidifier it does not matter how much water it removes. Pints per kilowatt hour (P/kWh) or Liters per kilowatt hour (L/kWh) will determine how efficient the unit is. Conditioned Air is Better- Depending on your climate your heating and cooling unit can control the moisture in your crawl space once you open supply and return; this method is allowed by the
Read more →Why high crawl space moisture costs you money Crawl space moisture, bugs and Mold High moisture in a crawl space is the dominating factor when it comes to odor, structure rot, wood boring insects and Mold problems. Large companies have been formed to treat these very specific issues because of the demand to remedy the problem. Unfortunately, these companies have only been treating the symptoms and not the real problem. This stems from the homeowner asking for a specific fix or treatment. For example, if a home has a Mold problem then a Mold company would be called out to treat the Mold. If the home has a termite problem then a pest control company would be called out. Each time your home is treated for these two issues your home is sprayed with chemicals designed to kill something. Because your crawl space is some place you don’t want to be, does not mean your not exposed to the air from it. If you already have the condition then you really have no choice, but if you fix the problem (the moisture) then you will not be saddled with the cost to fix the Mold or the termite issue. Even better than
Read more →Selling you your fear The first thing that needs to be discussed, are some facts about Mold. “Black Mold” is a scary description, and of course you care about your health and your families health so you take it seriously. Salesmen (and woman for that matter) take advantage of this innate concern in order to get you to write a check or sign a contract. Mold can not be identified by the naked eye, it must be examined under a microscope. This however, does not change our concern about Mold. IF you find that a salesmen is pushing the Mold issue it is more likely a “closing” technique rather than any kind of expertise. This, of course, is a fine line. What if you do have a Mold problem? The answer to this dilemma is to do your own research and educate yourself. The last thing a salesmen is going to expect is that you know more about something than he does. There is a lot of good information on the internet (at reputable sources) about Mold and the health affects. Mold can be a serious problem, so do yourself a favor and learn about it so that you can protect yourself from the “sales
Read more →Hi, My crawl space is moist, i.e., the air is damp and the foundation walls show signs of wetness. A mold inspector has not found mold and the subfloor is dry. I am planning to dry out the crawl space and I have a few questions regarding your product and the various approaches that I’ve read about: 1. I’ve come to your site via ‘Ask the Builder’ where you or one of your colleagues pointed to the Crawl Space Vapor Barrier product. (Very nice site, btw.) In the article, Tim Carter (author of ‘Ask the Builder’ column) referred to high performance polyethylene. Can you tell me what the advantage of the Crawl Space Vapor Barrier over the high performance polyethylene is? I’m not planning to use the crawl space for storage. 2. Based on what I read, the best practice indicates that one should close the crawl space vents and to seal the crawl space. But given that moisture will still be underneath the vapor barrier, will this not lead to wet foundation walls and wet studs underneath the vapor barrier? 3. I’ve read about two alternative approaches to dry out the crawl space: a) use a crawl space dehumidifier b) open up
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