Conditioning a Crawl Space in Louisa, VA
Challenge
A homeowner in Louisa, VA built an addition to her home a few years back. She noticed that the humidity in this addition was always super high. This area was above the crawl space and the homeowner was experiencing stack effect. Stack effect happens because as air enters the home, it warms up, and because warm air rises, it rises to the top of the home. The air isn't the only thing that rises though. The air brings along with it anything that can become air born, including moisture droplets, mold spores, dirt, and sometimes even insect and pest droppings. The high humidity in the new addition told us that there was moisture in the crawl space. This is more than just an annoyance, as it can lead to mold growth, rotting floor joists, and high electric bills.
Solution
To fix this high humidity issue, we had to "condition" the crawl space air. To achieve this, the crawl space needed to be encapsulated. Crawl space encapsulation can be done in 4 steps. We fix any water leakage, isolate the house from the earth, seal the vents and other outside air leaks, and finally "condition" or dehumidify the crawl space air. Now this homeowner has improved indoor air quality, increased energy efficiency, and healthier living conditions.
Project Summary
Evaluator: Shayne Sandner