Mold Removal & Mold Services - Condensation on Pipe.

Before we even conducted my initial inspection, we advised the customer that adding more vents is NOT the answer. With a confused look, the client allowed me to explain myself in more detail. There is a common misconception that crawl spaces need venting in order to expel the hot, humid air. In fact, vented crawl spaces do the exact opposite. Building scientists now understand the stack effect in homes where rising warm air leaks out near the top of the house that, in turn, causes hot humid outside air to be drawn in around the foundation to the crawl space. In short, vented crawl spaces actually exacerbate humidity problems -- crawl space vents allow huge volumes of outside, unconditioned humid air to enter the crawl space area. Over time, this causes condensation problems and, ultimately, mold growth. We explained to the homeowner that the proper solution to reduce crawl space humidity levels is encapsulation, which, in part, entails sealing the existing vents as well as installing an effective dehumidification system.