Foundation vents revisited

  In the past I have talked about how foundation vents in the crawlspace are harmful. They are left open most of the hot summer months and let in a lot of humidity. This will lead to mold problems, wood rot, mildew, and fungus growth. To clarify, I was talking about the standard “grate” style foundation vents. What I’d like to talk about now are a different kind of vents, they are called Smart Vents.

What are they?

  The Smart Vent is basically a mechanical vent that is designed to prevent foundation damage. When pressure from a flood or major storm builds up against the outside of your foundation walls, it can actually crack the wall. A Smart Vent opens and closes on its own to relieve the pressure. So if water is sitting against your crawlspace walls and doing damage to the structure, the vents open up and allow water to enter the crawlspace.

Why do I need them?

  I know some of you are wondering why that is a good thing. I’ve always said that keeping the crawlspace dry is the best thing to do. The reason why these Smart Vents are great is that we can pump out the crawlspace and get it dry again MUCH easier then rebuilding the entire foundation. One of the nicest feature of the Smart Vent is that is still seals out the majority of humid air. So if you never have a flood, you will still benefit from the air sealing aspects that DryZone believes in. If you live in a flood area these are definitely worth looking into. DryZone is an authorized dealer for the Smart Vent, we even had a regional representative come out to our office recently to go over the different applications of this great product. We found out that many times, but not always, a flood insurance policy requires them. If you are interested in finding out more, you should get one of our inspectors out to go over the Smart Vents and other beneficial products and services that can improve the safety and health of your home.

Check out our page on the Smart Vent:

https://www.dryzone.com/crawl-space-repair/vapor-barrier/smart-vent.html

 These types of vents are a great idea for Seaford, Laurel, Dewey Beach, Selbyville, Fenwick Island, Crisfield, Cambridge, or any other low laying area on the Delmarva Peninsula.