The old adage, “Out of sight, out of mind”, could apply quite well
to many people’s crawl spaces. What they don’t imagine or realize is just how
much of an impact a crawl space has on the air in their main living space.
What’s Happening Inside Too Many Crawl Spaces
What happens inside a crawl space is directly affected by the
weather and temperatures outside of it. The most ventilation your crawl space
receives probably comes from a conveniently-directed gust of wind or pressure
changes. Even so, nearly all crawl spaces are not well-ventilated, and this
causes stagnant air to gather inside.
Moisture is also drawn into the crawl space due to a few different
factors:
- The
dryness of the dirt inside it compared to the dirt around the foundation
- Your
house drawing moisture up from the ground
- Warm,
humid air on hot days entering the cooler environment of the crawl space
through foundation vents, thereby increasing the humidity
When that moisture evaporates, the water vapor will rise and
settle in various areas, such as the floor insulation or ductwork. In the
warmer months, the increased humidity caused by warm air entering the
crawl space results in condensation that can also settle on the ductwork and
floor insulation, as well as the subfloor and floor joists.
What You Didn’t Want to Know About Your Crawl Space
If you have a crawl space, it’s probably not well-ventilated
because most crawl spaces aren’t. This lack of ventilation results in stagnant
air.
Now, remember that moisture and condensation we were just
mentioning? Here’s the bad news: not only does the condensation lead to mold or
even radon growth--the damp, musty environment being created down below along
with all of that stagnant air becomes a habitat for unwanted pests, namely rodents
and termites. In other words, your crawl space becomes an ideal environment for
things far less than ideal.
How Crawl Space Air Gets into Your Home
You’ve probably experienced how upstairs rooms during summertime
are a lot hotter than the rooms downstairs. This is because cooler air is drawn
up from below as the warm air in your house rises. This is how that cooler air
from your crawl space enters your house, which can be quite problematic if that
air is smelly or of poor quality.
Using the exhaust fans in your bathroom or kitchen might worsen
the problem. Running those fans creates negative pressure in your house, which
will then pull in air from the outdoors and from your crawl space. If your HVAC
system is located in the crawl space, even more of that dirty air might be
finding its way into your house. Dank air can creep into leaks in your ductwork
or air filter and then be circulated by your HVAC throughout the entire house.
In Need of a Clean Crawl Space?
If you’re noticing poor air quality, moisture issues, or bad odors
in your home, a dirty crawl space might be the culprit. GreenPro offers
professional, bio-friendly cleaning services, including an EPA-registered,
non-toxic, chemical-free, botanical fungistat/disinfectant that kills 99.99% of
harmful odor-causing bacteria.
Schedule your free inspection today!
