I live in central VA and our summers are very hot and humid.
Thanks for any advice.
Melanie
I live in central VA and our summers are very hot and humid.
Thanks for any advice.
Melanie
My wife and I put down a vapor barrier years ago in the crawl space and it really has helped with that musty odor. Unfortunately our crawl space is not ventilated (this is in c-c-c-cold Colorado)--the concrete goes all the way up so venting isn't an option.
One thing I found is that after we put the vapor barrier down, it made it a lot more pleasant to work down there. Still not exactly PLEASANT mind you--but the plastic is lots easier to get around on than bare dirt. A nice feature when you only have, say, a 3' high area to move around on.
Hopefully you'll hear some more responses about when to have the vents open, but at least in summer I'd think (at least in VA you don't reach 10 below--here we really have to watch for frozen pipes). Good luck and welcome!
-k
[This message has been edited by k2 (edited July 21, 2003).]
If your crawlspace floor is concreted or covered in plastic to keep moisture infiltration at bay...
The answer is that you should keep the crawlspace vents CLOSED in summer...OPEN in winter.
Here's why:
In winter, warmer moister air is INSIDE and needs a way to escape to prevent water problems.
In summer, it is just the opposite.
Warmer, moister air is outside the house and if vents are left open, this warmer moister air will travel INTO the crawlspace or basement and tend to condense on colder crawl or basement surfaces.
Here is a helpful link:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK7051.html