There is a great deal of misunderstanding regarding crawl space ventilation and how it relates to getting rid of mold and mildew.
Everyone has smelled that musty basement smell in many houses; sometimes it permeates the entire house.
It is commonly understood that warmth and moisture are essential for mold and mildew to grow and flourish, after all, that is where you see it growing.
What is not so commonly observed is that a lot of the moist, warm air comes into the house from the outside.
It seems entirely logical that a cellar, basement or crawl space needs adequate ventilation.
This is true, in some areas of the country, especially in the dry, arid West.
In the damp Northeast, however, the opposite is true.
Letting warm, moist air into the crawl space is like adding nourishment to the plants, almost like watering a flower! The moist air hits the foundation and the water condenses and drips all over the place, feeding all the little fungi growing.
It is much better to lay down a sheet of plastic to seal off the ground and run it up the walls right to the flooring.
This will effectively seal off the crawl space from outside air and moisture and help to stop the mold and mildew from flourishing.
Many homeowners have had great success by using a thermostatically controlled fan to ventilate the crawl space or basement.
These help to save energy compared to a fan or dehumidifier because they are controlled by the temperature.
Getting rid of the mold and mildew is of grave importance for the health of your family.
The mold spores are responsible for headaches, runny noses, coughing, irritated eyes and even asthma.
The symptoms can become so severe that the only option is to move out of the house.
Often the first realization that the family is suffering from mold spores is when they are away for an extended period of time.
One family I personally know was always sick with one respiratory ailment after the other.
Once they moved out of their very musty house, all the illness vanished! They had tried for years to convince the landlord to take care of the musty basement smell the filled the house.
Unfortunately, all she cared about was the rent check.
Within a year after my friends moved out, the house was demolished.
Seems that the health department stepped in and took action.
Everyone has smelled that musty basement smell in many houses; sometimes it permeates the entire house.
It is commonly understood that warmth and moisture are essential for mold and mildew to grow and flourish, after all, that is where you see it growing.
What is not so commonly observed is that a lot of the moist, warm air comes into the house from the outside.
It seems entirely logical that a cellar, basement or crawl space needs adequate ventilation.
This is true, in some areas of the country, especially in the dry, arid West.
In the damp Northeast, however, the opposite is true.
Letting warm, moist air into the crawl space is like adding nourishment to the plants, almost like watering a flower! The moist air hits the foundation and the water condenses and drips all over the place, feeding all the little fungi growing.
It is much better to lay down a sheet of plastic to seal off the ground and run it up the walls right to the flooring.
This will effectively seal off the crawl space from outside air and moisture and help to stop the mold and mildew from flourishing.
Many homeowners have had great success by using a thermostatically controlled fan to ventilate the crawl space or basement.
These help to save energy compared to a fan or dehumidifier because they are controlled by the temperature.
Getting rid of the mold and mildew is of grave importance for the health of your family.
The mold spores are responsible for headaches, runny noses, coughing, irritated eyes and even asthma.
The symptoms can become so severe that the only option is to move out of the house.
Often the first realization that the family is suffering from mold spores is when they are away for an extended period of time.
One family I personally know was always sick with one respiratory ailment after the other.
Once they moved out of their very musty house, all the illness vanished! They had tried for years to convince the landlord to take care of the musty basement smell the filled the house.
Unfortunately, all she cared about was the rent check.
Within a year after my friends moved out, the house was demolished.
Seems that the health department stepped in and took action.
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