Greenville, Spartanburg and Asheville are in the humid southeastern United States. A consequence of being in the southeast is high humidity in the warmer months. This humidity enters open crawl spaces and clashes with cooler air creating condensation which forms on the bottom of floor joists, insulation, etc. Result…a great environment for fungal growth and mold!!
It is also true that bare ground releases approximately 8 to 10 gallons of water vapor per DAY in the average crawl space. Vapor barrier is critical to trap that moisture and keep it from elevating humidity levels under the home.
Dehumidifiers have become popular in mold remediation work so as to keep the humidity levels down to less than 55% . Anything over this number provides an environment for mold growth.
In a 1400 s.f. crawl space MoldStoppers remediated this summer, the pre-remediation humidity in the crawl was 71%!! Moldstoppers remediated the crawl, encapsulated the crawl space and installed a dehumidifier. A couple weeks afterwards the humidity level in this same crawl space was 45%!!! Perfect.
Common construction knowledge has promoted the practice of venting the foundation for air flow. In fact IBC (International Building Code) requires one vent per 150 s.f. of crawl space IF the crawl space is vented. This would make sense in non-humid environments. That is not what we have in the southeast!
Dehumidifiers control humidity. Controlling humidity is critical in avoiding fungal growth and mold in many southeastern crawl spaces. A good quality commercial dehumidifier will operate quietly, be plumbed to the outside of the crawl space, use less than $7.00 @ month in energy, and need minimal attention yearly (change the filter). That is a much better alternative to a costly several thousand dollar remediation!
Call us today and find out more about our quality dehumidifiers.
Emory Young
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