How do you effectively lower humidity in your crawl space to prevent mold and wood rot fungus? There are many ways to lower humidity in the crawl space and the #1 solution will be to add a properly sized dehumidifier but there is more. If you own a home with a crawl space, you likely have a loose-laid vapor barrier installed in the crawl space. This is a good line of defense for high humidity, but many of the loose-laid vapor barriers shift and become less effective over time. Installing a vapor barrier on the ground, walls, and pillars of the crawl space is a better way to slow the evaporation process. The ground in the crawl space will constantly give off humidity, even during a drought in some cases. Overlapping and sealing the vapor barrier at the joints is also needed to reduce the amount of humidity getting into the crawl space. If you own a crawl space with a decorative door that has gaps in it, this will allow the outside humid air to enter your crawl space. Sure, it probably looks great, but chances are it is affecting your humidity. You should properly insulate the material used for the crawl space door to help with energy efficiency. We use a marine grade 3/4 inch thick waterproof door material and many times have to custom fit the door to the opening. This involves insulating the door and air sealing the door framing to keep humidity out. This should go without saying but you must air seal and insulate crawl space vents to stop excess humidity from entering the crawl space. We have seen everything from pillows to blue jeans to cardboard boxes to loose foamboard installed in the crawl space vents to seal them. Air sealing and insulating the vents are essential to controlling humidity as you can see in the video below. Pro tip: it may be counterproductive to seal vents without a dehumidifier installed in the crawl space. There are still other steps to lowering humidity based on your situation but the crawl space dehumidifier is the most important piece of the puzzle. By installing a proper vapor barrier and sealing doors and vents, it allows the dehumidifier to do its job more effectively. This will save you money in the long run because the crawl space dehumidifier is able to reach optimal humidity levels quicker. If you choose to ignore the above information, your power bill will increase while the dehumidifier efficiency will decrease. If your crawl space is flooding or you have a plumbing leak, fixing these items should be part of the controlling humidity process. The crawl space dehumidifier will have to fight standing water or wood that is constantly wet and could lose the battle if the water is too much for it to handle. The Ninja Crawl Space Encapsulation System looks at the entire crawl space from the top down to identify all the moisture problems and correct them. Drop us a line today for a quote! Do you need help with crawl space encapsulation in Alabama, Georgia, Delaware, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, or South Carolina? If so, please contact us to schedule your assessment. Also, let us know in the comments below if you'd like to suggest a future blog post. Perhaps you'd like to tackle your own crawl space repair. Visit our DIY Store. Contact us if you need help fixing your crawl space, basement, or yard drainage by clicking here. Learn about Crawl Space Ninja Franchise opportunities.
How Do I Lower Humidity in My Crawl Space
Crawl Space Vapor Barrier and Humidity
Doors Help Control Humidity When Sealed
Seal Crawl Space Vents
Crawl Space Dehumidifier Lowers Humidity
Other Problems to Fix to Lower Humidity
Ready to find out more?
What Next?
← Aprilaire e-series Dehumidifiers are Easy to Use, Effective, and Energy EfficientDirt Crawl Space Problems →