Crawlspace Vent Fan Installation - KEEP YOUR CRAWLSPACE DRY!!!

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@michaelkiese7794 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for the video, and sharing what works in your area. Right now in Virginia, it's the summer and it's been raining heavily thanks to hurricane Debby. The outside humidity is in the 90% range. My indoor humidity is 87% with the HVAC going at 73ºF. If I turn down the thermostat to 72º, the indoor humidity will drop to 83%. Honestly, I've tried keeping the crawl space vents open all summer up till now. About a week ago, I closed the vents. Both courses of action resulted in high humidity and musty smell. The course of action I have decided to go forward with is to add extra vapor barrier to fully cover the entire floor of the crawlspace, close off/seal the crawlspace vents with YCS Foundation Hard Vent Covers (non permanent and easily installed and removed from the exterior), and to put a crawlspace dehumidifier in the crawlspace. I also have an Ozone Generator, which I have had running in the crawlspace to get rid of the musty smell. It works. The drawback is that about a week after the ozone treatment, the musty smell returns. It's just too darn humid right now. It doesn't matter whether I close the vents or keep them open, the high humidity is creating an environment for mold/mildew growth, and THAT is causing the musty smell. Opening the vents is just an attempt to vent out the musty smell, but it doesn't stop the root cause, which is the mold/mildew growth. I think inhibiting mold/mildew growth will be the most pragmatic and cost effective course of action. By sealing the vents, adding extra vapor barrier, and running a dehumidifier, I hope it will achieve my desired end result. I'll be happy to report back to share the result with you. Again, thank you for the video.

@miillersconstruction 5 ай бұрын

@@michaelkiese7794 the best course of action is to ALWAYS seal the crawlspace and treat it as a conditioned space. Sounds like you need to be running a dehumidifier inside your home as well. I have a video coming up of a unique Dehumidifier that you might find interesting. Keep an eye out for that. Definitely let me know the results of your latest project though.

@michaelkiese7794 5 ай бұрын

@@miillersconstruction thanks for responding brother. I agree that sealing the crawlspace is the permanent and most effective solution. Having said that, we may be moving within the next year or so. The cost vs benefits given our timeline changes our strategy. As for right now, yesterday I laid out some 6 MIL black vapor barrier from home depot, closed all the vents, and installed an ALORAIR 120 PPD crawl space dehumidifier with condensate pump (ran the clear vinyl drain tubing out a foundation hole along PVC HVAC drains). The YCS Foundation Hard Vent Covers have not come in yet, but I have the system running as-is for the time being to achieve some relief. When I turned on the dehumidifier, my crawlspace was 87% humidity with the temps in the high 80’s. I tried setting the humidity level to 50%, but the unit just cannot get past 65% humidity so it will just be constantly running. Therefore, I just set it 70% to give it intermittent breaks. Considering that the vents are not completely sealed at this point, this is the best I can do for the time being. As it is right now, this current course of action lowered my indoor humidity from 87% to 71-75%. There is noticeable relief and comfort improvement, but more improvement is desired. I think sealing off the vents with the YCS Foundation Vent Covers will improve the dehumidifier’s performance. Ideally I would like to achieve a 45%-55% indoor humidity, and about 50% crawlspace humidity (I’ll be happy to get it under 60% to stop mold growth). I agree with your assessment that I will need an indoor dehumidifier as well. I think there must be a lot of condensation on the coils, so when the HVAC fans run, I notice the indoor humidity jumps 5%-7%. Therefore, I ordered a Yaufey 150 PPD indoor dehumidifier on Amazon last night. I’ll report back to you to let you know how it works. Thanks for sharing and corresponding. This summer humidity is oppressive, and I’m completely done with mold and mildew problems. My wife has health issues with her immune system and lungs, so it’s not just for comfort in our case. It's a health issue.

@miillersconstruction 5 ай бұрын

@@michaelkiese7794 we're currently dealing with a situation right now where the humidity in a building is very high. No crawlspace. After some investigating, we found both the supply and return plenum on the HVAC system are extremely leaky and allowing hot humid air into the system which is humidifying the conditioned space. Could be a similar issue your dealing with.

@michaelkiese7794 5 ай бұрын

@@miillersconstruction Hey! Reporting back. It’s been about a week, and my humidity problem has been completely alleviated. I now run my thermostat at 75° with indoor humidity at 50%. Previously, it was set to 73° with 87% humidity. To recap: 1) I spread 6 MIL vapor barrier from Home Depot across my entire crawl space 2) I capped my crawlspace vents with removable Vent Covers 3) I installed a crawlspace dehumidifier 4) I installed an indoor dehumidifier Given that I didn’t completely seal my crawlspace, I can control the crawl space humidity to no lower than 55% (which surpasses the 60% threshold to prevent mold/mildew). If I set it lower than 55%, it will run continuously. Also, I can maintain an indoor humidity of 50% with my indoor dehumidifier. If I set it to 45% or lower, it will run continuously. So in conclusion, my 87% indoor humidity has been reduced to 50%. Approx $200 for the vapor barrier at home depot, $150 for 10 crawl space vent covers, about $600 for the crawlspace dehumidifier, and about $320 for the indoor dehumidifier. So I spent a little under $1,300 and my problem has been solved. Given that a local company, JES Foundation Repair, states on their website that encapsulation can cost $5,000-$15,000+, the course of action I took not only produced the desired end result, but was also much more cost effective.

@miillersconstruction 5 ай бұрын

@@michaelkiese7794 man that's great feedback. Thanks for sharing. I'm wondering if a similar approach would work in my area where it's extremely humid 7-8 months out of the year. No question it would help. Just the fact that your below 60 down there now is fantastic.

@terryconnelly1682 Жыл бұрын

Great video. Nice job boxing in the fan.

@ddjgirl3619 5 ай бұрын

I noticed you might be using an extension cord. Extension cords are for temporary use, ( less than 24 hours at a time). You should contact an Electrician to install an outlet or to hard wire it.

@miillersconstruction 5 ай бұрын

@@ddjgirl3619 yeah we're not doing that.

@tonicash3748 11 ай бұрын

Hi there! Such a good video and glad you're under there and not me.. looked like a very tight squeeze! Question, I have been having a problem with moisture it seems when the subfloor of my house is actually buckling my laminated wood planks that are put down. It was recommended to put a vapor barrier down and now I have heard about these fans. I had a company out to check for a leak and they told me the beams were covered in mold. I've only lived her for about 3 years, but it was builting the 60s. Thinking of doing some but the person that recommended said they have a fan to flow in and a fan to blow out. Not sure how that works. Please enlighten if you know about that. Thanks for all your help, keep it up!

@miillersconstruction 11 ай бұрын

Hey thanks for checking out the video! Yes if you can get air movement, things will dry out! Unless you completely air seal and condition that space, you will ALWAYS have humidity in that space. A vapor barrier on the ground isn't going to do much good, and I've actually seen it hold water and make the situation even worse. Install fans and let it breath! More crawlspace vents are good too!

@scottculiner1720 7 ай бұрын

I had two powered "Temp Vents" installed by a Pest Control company years ago, attached to a humidistat. One stopped working, and Temp Vents seems to be out of business. What is a good brand, and where can I buy them?

@miillersconstruction 7 ай бұрын

I'm not sure what brand to tell you to install, we got these from Amazon and they're still running fine.

@customconsult3045 Жыл бұрын

Any reason/ benefit to setting up dual fans for push/pull arrangement (cross flow across space)?

@miillersconstruction Жыл бұрын

Definitely some benefit to that if the space is appropriate to do such. For instance if your home is shaped more like a rectangle, one at each end would be great. One pushing and one pulling. And they actually make some that are reversed that are pulling in fresh air that you install underneath in the crawlspace as well.

@1221mediaent 8 ай бұрын

This is a very helpful video. We just had new vents cut on either end of our retangular shaped crawl space. Now we need to buy and install fans. Who is best to perform theae tasks that you just did? An electrician or general contractor?

@miillersconstruction 8 ай бұрын

Good question. I'm a carpenter/remodeler and we do this type of work often. It's going to depend on your location and the individual you contact. I would suggest a remodeling contractor first.

@productionapostle1298 10 ай бұрын

So closed cell spray foam insulation shouldn't go in smaller crawl spaces?

@miillersconstruction 10 ай бұрын

Who said that? I would've loved to have used closed spray foam on this entire Job. But it would've cost a small fortune.

@DavidMChampeau 7 ай бұрын

Well done. Very helpful. My space is not so tight but I could feel your pain 😢

@miillersconstruction 7 ай бұрын

Im glad it showed through in the video LOL! Thanks for watching.

@DavidMChampeau 6 ай бұрын

@@miillersconstruction question, I am in western NC, gets fairly cold in winter. Cabin is only 520 sq ft. I am going back and forth about fans like you did here or sealing it. I have 3-5 blocks high on the walls. With fans, what do you do in the winter time? Thanks - David

@miillersconstruction 6 ай бұрын

@@DavidMChampeau That's a great question. First of all, If you seal up any crawl space, just make sure you condition that space. In other words, you need to dump a supply and a return duct into that space, or install a dedicated dehumidifier to that space. Sealing It up and not conditioning. It will be disastrous. As for the fans in the winter time, these particular fans have a dehumidistat and a thermostat. If the temperature drops below 50°, it turns them off. If the temperature is dropping that low, it's time to close the vents anyways. So what I tell clients is this, when it gets cold, close the vents regardless of what the fan is doing. If the fan is still running and the thermostat isn't functioning correctly, I always have them on a switch right next to the crawl space just in case. Hope this helps.

@DavidMChampeau 6 ай бұрын

@@miillersconstruction yes if I was to seal it up I would also add a dehumidifier. the challenge with closing the vents in the winter is the vents do not seal well at all. on a side note, the guys who built the foundation, the house is 2 years old, put a block sideways in the vent hole. its very strange.

@miillersconstruction 6 ай бұрын

@@DavidMChampeau That is a very old school thing I have seen a few times. If you have the ability to seal it up, do it. Vapor barrier on the ground and up the sides of the foundation walls, taped everywhere. For situations where that just is not an option, these fans really help in the summer heat. Just promoting air flow helps more than anything.

@dustincmills Ай бұрын

Are these good for radon gas mitigation?

@miillersconstruction Ай бұрын

@@dustincmills I'm not sure about that.

@JoeyGaglioti 3 ай бұрын

Where’s the vent that goes on the outside?

@confidentlocal8600 7 ай бұрын

How's it working out?

@xiguo7089 5 ай бұрын

following - saw most review on amazon that it didnt help with humidity.

@booostedtc 9 ай бұрын

Best way to keep down the humid in summer keep all vents close up. My buddy is tanner flowers he has the most crawlspace videos on KZbin and #1 in the usa on crawlspace encapsulations air out should help but keep everything else close ive been dealing with this new home 2 years hold air handler in crawlspace i thought rule was vent open in summer close in winter so pipes dont freeze my air handler sweat so bad alot of water last summer kept vents closed did not sweat at all but 80% of air in home come from crawlspace im not a fan of breathing old stail crawlspace air so im thinking about putting in one of these fans to blow out the old air im just hoping it does not allowed humid summer air in when not running

@miillersconstruction 9 ай бұрын

All I can tell you is what I've learned works well in our area. If you can't condition the crawl space, You need to let it breathe. If your HVAC ductwork is in the crawl space, You will always have issues.

@zeseanisart9243 7 ай бұрын

how do you close it? did u upgrade the screens?

@miillersconstruction 7 ай бұрын

@@zeseanisart9243 no. Stock crawlspace vents. The fan is mounted inside the crawlspace so the client can simply close the vents on the outside when cold weather hits.

@zeseanisart9243 7 ай бұрын

@@miillersconstruction im too paranoid when it comes to electronics being left unintended down there. Is this safe ? no future issue with sparks that can start a fire?

@miillersconstruction 7 ай бұрын

@@zeseanisart9243 it's connected to a GFCI breaker and we have it on a switch just behind the crawlspace door. If installed properly, you should have no issues.

@cpg8000 Жыл бұрын

I have a fully encapsulated crawlspace with a dehumidifier, and it makes the living space above smell very musty. I was told by my installer there is nothing they can do. Wondering if opening one vent up and installing a fan like this would help? They told me it defeats the purpose of what I did by encapsulating it, but the smell is awful. I’m in Atlanta.

@miillersconstruction Жыл бұрын

Very strange about the smell. You should have no smell and they are correct, it would totally defeat the purpose. If you have a smell, it would seem to me like the dehumidifier potentially isn't big enough for the space. You should smell nothing. I would recommend first figuring out what the smell is. I would assume it's a form of mold growth. There's just no telling really. If they did their job correctly, and the dehumidifier is sized large enough, you should never have an issue, especially a smell. I would be inspecting the work.

@cpg8000 Жыл бұрын

@@miillersconstruction thank you. I re-did the encapsulation when I moved in, because the old one was so poorly done, ripped, etc. When they took off the old vapor barrier, the soil smelled so badly of cat-piss musty ammonia, it was brutal. No rodents were found, but the installer said it was pretty severe by comparison to other homes. I suspect the house had fungus down there at some point maybe, and it was remediated, so no more evidence of it now. Previous homeowner said she would have somebody pour baking soda underneath the vapor barrier to cut the smells. But, I’m wondering if fungus gets to the soil or in wood and just lingers? The dehumidifier that was down there previously didn’t work well. So I imagine the humidity was out of control. Will this eventually go away now that I’ve corrected the issues?

@miillersconstruction Жыл бұрын

@@cpg8000 if the food for mold growth is gone, the mold will die. Just to clarify, there is a vapor barrier that's well sealed on the ground and up the walls correct?

@cpg8000 Жыл бұрын

@@miillersconstruction good to know. Yes, vapor barrier very neatly taped and joined on the floor, and around the footings, as well as against the cinderblock foundation walls with tape and appropriate foundation nails.

@productionapostle1298 10 ай бұрын

@cpg8000 a dehumidifier will almost eliminate all smells ... before vapor Barrier was laid should have seen how wet the dirt was.. rats and cats love going under the house and doing their business... check the toilet and stack it might have a very small leak and being it holds no pressure human waste could easily leak out and you might not notice it

@jasonfloyd5225 Жыл бұрын

Thought that was a badger crawling in at the opening!!

@miillersconstruction Жыл бұрын

Muskrat.....

@sbp98f Жыл бұрын

What does it look like from the outside after adding this?

@miillersconstruction Жыл бұрын

Absolutely cannot see it.

@mercurad 10 ай бұрын

Hi. The fan is sufficient to keep the crawlspace dry? Even in humid summer months? Was strongly considering diy encapsulation and dehumid. If vent fan is sufficient I'd def be down to try that 🤪. We have had mold and moisture issues for sure. And it even caused structural issues with some of the wood. But I think water entry from poor grading contributed a lot to all that. We have HVAC condensation on ducts too though. So it's def too humid down there. We had a poorly laid vapor barrier so at a minimum I'll do a proper install of that 6" up the walls and taped well I removed the insulation, repaired structure, and treated mold already. And will regrade the yard. I could encapsulate and dehumid myself for maybe 1k more then just doing vapor barrier. And would include wall insulation which I thought would also help HVAC efficiency. (It's in the crawlspace) Athens Georgia Thanks

@miillersconstruction 10 ай бұрын

I only recommend the fans if encapsulation and dehu is not an option. I would strongly suggest getting the ductwork out of that space.

@confidentlocal8600 11 ай бұрын

Please report back next summer.

@virginiamoss7045 Ай бұрын

I totally understand about not having the money to do what needs to be done, but that fan is only going to move the heavy humid air in the crawl space out while pulling in more of the same heavy humid air in for absolutely no benefit whatsoever. They should have skipped this and made effort to save up or borrow to encapsulate their crawlspace and install a dehumidifier. I'm faced with the same dilemma.

@miillersconstruction Ай бұрын

@@virginiamoss7045 it's easy to sit back and tell others what they should or shouldn't have done. I've been in this business for a long time and seen a ton of crawlspaces. A fully encapsulated crawl space is 100% the only way to go, but it's just not feasible for everyone. I have personally seen this method work in crawl spaces that we're facing issues. If I hadn't seen success doing it this way I would not have been recommending it. Explain to me how installing fans in the crawl space has eliminated their mold and condensation issues? I don't know the science behind it, but something changes when you move air in those spaces. For folks that are on a budget, it is a feasible option. I didn't say it was the best option at any point in the video.