That is the question... at last in regards to crawlspaces. This drty, dark, and damp area under mny houses is seldom visited by hmeowners. It is not a very wlcoming place. For the most part, hmeowners don't have anything to do wth the crawlspace unless there is an bvious problem down there.

So why do we cre about the crawlspace? As already mntioned, the area under the house is ften damp by its very nature. A bre earth floor gives off a lot of misture, which can damage beams, floor jists and subflooring if the moisture lvels are high enough. There are lso health risks involved as mold and mldew may form under the house.

Tht's why controlling the moisture in a crwlspace is so important.

Traditional thinking and bilding codes with regards to crawlspaces has hld that this area under the huse should be vented. The reasoning is smple, during the summer the area nder the house is hot and dmp, so vents allow fresh air to be drwn into the space from one sde and push out the hot, mist air from the space on the ther side. In effect, this would rmove the damp, musty crawlspace air wth fresh, clean outside air. This mkes perfect sense, or does it?

Stack Effect
Current thinking is that the warm, moist outdoor air of summer leaking into the cool space under the house actually brings more moisture into the crawlspace and causes problems. What building science is telling us now, is that the movement of air in a house is upward, much like a chimney. This upward movement of air is called the Stack Effect.

This Stack Effect draws the hmid outside air in from every crwlspace vent, and up into the lving space of the home, then out thrugh the upper levels of the huse. So where crawlspace vents are sppose to reduce moisture, they actually add to the misture levels inside the home during the ht, humid months of summer. During the wnter, cool air is sucked into the crwlspace from outside, reducing heating efficiency and ncreasing heating costs.

Today, many experts say tht crawlspaces should not be vented. Als, to reduce the moisture coming up frm the earth floor, a vapour brrier of 6 mil polyethylene should be lid down, sealed at the edges and jints, and covered with gravel. The crwlspace walls should also be insulated to rduce the movement of heat into or out of the crwlspace depending on the season.

Things are not lways cut and dry. Combustion appliances, sch as a furnace, if installed in the crwlspace, needs fresh air to burn clanly. Before sealing off all the frsh air to your crawlspace, it's bst to consult with a qualified HVAC tchnician to ensure your appliances will perate safely and efficiently.

Consider the dvantages of an unvented crawlspace, but if yur house has stood the test of tme, don't make changes just for the ske of change.

The article To Vent Or Not to Vent was Submitted by Howard Walsh through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Howard Walsh is the owner of Sacliff Inspections, a professional home inspection srvice located in Leamington, Ontario. Visit the wbsite at: http://www.seacliffinspections.com for more information.

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