Your Crawlspace Grows Mold While the House Feels Dry
How is your crawlspace growing mold while three seasons out of four, your home feels comfortable and dry? Sure, it may feel rather humid on the occaisional summer day, but most the time the house feels fine… So how does your crawlspace trap humidity? Even with your vapor barrier, moisture will condense and breed mold, termites, dust mites and more.
Here’s the answer. Air in your crawlspace is always more humid than the air in the house. And this is because cool ground temperature keeps the crawlspace colder than the air in your house. Because of this temperature difference, your home’s living areas can feel dry, while below, crawlspace humidity runs rampid.
Here are a couple terms to know:
- Dew Point = Temperature at which water vapor condenses
- Relative Humidity (R.H.) = % of moisture present in relation to of moisture the air can hold.
In other words, relative humidity is the percent of water in the air. When R.H. hits 100%, water will condense, rain or snow. Dew Point is the temperature when this happens. Here are a few scenarios to show what happens in your home and crawlspace during typical weather conditions.
NOTE: Crawlspace R.H. (relative humidity) should try be 40% or less in order to keep Dew Point around 10-15 degrees below the crawlspace temperature. EPA recommends 40% – 50% R.H. This will control dust mite and mold populations. A crawlspace dehumidifier should always be used during humid or rainy weather. Humidity in the living area above, can be as high as 50% or 60%, based on comfort.
As the winter air enters, the humidity drops slightly within the crawlspace. Notice relative humidity is 62%, beyond what the EPA considers acceptable. As the air migrates upward, it warms greatly and relative humidity drops drastically. The house feels dry, but the crawlspace still requires dehumidification. To control dust mite populations, it is recommended that the crawlspace be kept at 40% R.H. all year long. Unfortunately, most dehumidifiers will not work at a 45° temperature. Though, our Dri-CrawlSpace® dehumidifiers will run just fine all the way down to 33°.
Still winter time, but here we have a cold rainy day. It will still feel dry indoors, but notice as the outside air enters the crawlspace, relative humidity only drops to 70%. During this type of weather, your crawlspace dehumidifier should be running. Be sure to choose a Dri-CrawlSpace® Dehumidifier because it is one of the few that can operate in temperatures this low.
This is the type of weather where mold really thrives, especially if it were to rain. It’s too cold to run the air conditioner, so high humidity goes unchecked. If it were raining, relative humidity outside would be 100%. This would raise the dew point to 55°. With the crawlspace at 58°, humidity would rise to a whopping 89%. All your cold water pipes and exterior walls would be dripping wet.
Here’s a nice warm day with comfortable 50% humidity. But because it is so warm, dew point is also going to be warm. Any surfaces below 60° will form condensation. Look how high the relative humidity gets as the air cools to 65° in the crawlspace. At 83% relative humidity, your crawlspace is sure to grow a good amount of mold, as well as make a fine home for spiders, termites, cockroaches and other pests.
The mild summer night is the worse case scenario for allergies. As temperatures near the dew point, dust mites and mold will multiply and run rampid throughout your home. Notice how quickly food goes bad in this weather. Also, if you notice more bugs in your home, these are indications of high humidity. A good crawlspace dehumidifer like the Dri-CrawlSpace® can keep up with these humid conditions and make your home comfortable while taking some strain off your air conditioner.
For more information on crawlspace dehumidification, sign up for a FREE REPORT that reveals 7 Things You Should Know Before Buying Any Crawlspace Dehumidifier.
December 23rd, 2010 at 11:58 am
[...] air flows from the bottom of the home to the top. Sure enough, your crawl space is an arch target of this humidity attack. Because it’s close to the ground, it directly absorbs evaporation of moisture from the [...]
December 26th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
[...] Why a Crawl Space Dehumidifier Can Save You Space » Atlanta Water Damage Restoration Basics#header_stallion{background-size:1000px 130px;background-image:url(http://www.atlantawaterdamage.info/main/uploads/2011/12/cropped-WaterDamage.jpg)}Do You Need A Vapor Barrier For Your Crawl SpaceCrawl Space Science: What to Have Done… and WhyYour Crawlspace Grows Mold While the House Feels Dry#igit_rpwt_css{background:#FFF;font-family:verdana,arila,serif;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;color:#000 !important;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px}#igit_rpwt_css h4{color:#000;font-family:Arial}#igit_title{padding:2px 2px 2px 0px;font-family:Arial;font-size:12px}#igit_title a{color:#000;font-family:Arial;font-size:12px}#igit_rpwt_thumb,#description{margin-left:0px}.igit_relpost:hover{background-color:#DDD}#igit_rpwt_main_image{float:left;height:105px;line-height:15;padding-bottom:10px;padding-right:2px;padding-top:2px;text-align:left;width:120px}#igit_rpwt_css ul{margin:0}#igit_rpwt_li{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;border-bottom:1px solid #EBDDE2;padding:5px 5px 10px 10px !important}#igit_rpwt_li:hover{background:#DDD}div.simplesocial,a.simplesocial{float:left;display:block}a.simplesocial{margin-right:5px;width:32px;height:32px}a.simplesocial:hover{margin-top:-2px}function simplesocial(t,w,h){window.open(t.href,'simplesocial','scrollbars=1,menubar=0,width='+w+',height='+h+',resizable=1,toolbar=0,location=0,status=0,left='+(screen.width-w)/2+',top='+(screen.height-h)/3);return false;}#header_stallion_2011_top{position:absolute !important;clip:rect(1px 1px 1px 1px);clip:rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px)}.broken_link,a.broken_link{text-decoration:line-through} Atlanta Water Damage Restoration BasicsWater Damage Restoration and Insurance Claims Why a Crawl Space Dehumidifier Can Save You SpacePosted on December 26th, 2011 in Water Damage photo creditReport by Mayoor PatelWith molds staying this kind of a concern in households, crawl space dehumidifiers can be a necessity for many. Any house on your residence exactly where it is cool and moist, mildew is probable to develop. The existence of mold in your property not only affects the price of your residence, but also has an effect on how healthful the environment you have is.Crawl house dehumidifiers are a thing that can support with houses that have no basement. Even when there is no basement, most households will at minimum have a crawlspace. This sort of an place can just as effortlessly suffer from moisture troubles as a large basement can. The variation is that a significant dehumidifying unit can not just be rolled into a crawl room. That is what craw room dehumidifiers can do for you. They fit and are made for the atmosphere of most crawlspaces.So exactly where do you find crawl house dehumidifiers? There are a range of areas you can search, but your neighborhood retailer is possibly as handy and as simple as any. Most any huge box property shop will have crawl space dehumidifiers in the same section with the other dehumidifying equipment. Be positive that you know what the cubic foot of location you need to treat is so that you can get the appropriate product. Even though the purchase of a dehumidifier for your crawl space is not difficult, you must make confident you get a design that will get the occupation you need to have carried out. The essence about this type of dehumidifier is all on the dimension. You may have to forgo a handful of of the positive aspects and attributes of some of the bigger sized models these as a bigger bucket, but relaxation assured the device will do its task and retain your crawl area nicely appeared after.Trying to keep mould and mildew out of your property is a occupation even if your residence does not have a basement. With a wet crawlspace, you have just as considerably of a likelihood at risky mould as any person. The crucial is to get the place dried up as quickly and efficiently as feasible. Crawl space dehumidifiers are created to get that work done. With the correct model, you can have a dry crawl space that is not hospitable to the mould and mildew that can be a chance to you and to your family members.Remeber its all about preservation of all the things you have down in the crawl space. Failing to situation the air down there could imply damage to the objects in storage Table of Contents Read dry crawl space stuff Review dry crawl space Video Interesting dry crawl space What are Twitter users saying about this dry crawl space? Watch: dry crawl space Dry #2 wet crawl space, basement by soil pitch from house More dry crawl space:5 Steps to a Dry Basement or Crawl SpaceAmazon Price: Santa Fe Max Dual Dry XT Crawl Space & Basement DehumidifierAmazon Price: dry crawl space Twitter SearchWhat are Twitter users saying about this dry crawl space?Best Dehumidifiers For Crawl Spaces-Santa Fe Max Dual Dry XT Crawl Space & Ba http://t.co/mlmj04zD – by yasminenbxbritt (Yasmine Brittingham)5 Steps to a Dry Basement or Crawl Space by Ronald K. Gay (2005, Paperback) http://t.co/DMJ5a3zf offered by Steve McDaniel, S. Bend, Indiana – by StevenDMcD (Steve McDaniel)Mouse here forRelated LinksDo You Need A Vapor Barrier For Your Crawl SpaceCrawl Space Science: What to Have Done… and WhyYour Crawlspace Grows Mold While the House Feels DryRecent Articles :Insurance For Water Damage Will Help Save Your PropertyShare this site with others :Tags: Crawl, Dehumidifier, dry crawl space, Save, Space Creating iPad AppsTap this HOT MarketHere Comes The New Wave Of Inspiring Fortunes Being Made Through iPad Apps!Are You positioned so that you too can capitalize on the newest piece of Cutting Edge technology? Leave a reply to Why a Crawl Space Dehumidifier Can Save You Space Name (required) Mail (not published) (required) [...]