Crawlspace Air Quality

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BEFORE THE ARCHITECT – HOME DESIGNING BACKGROUND – UNIQUE HOME DESIGNING ARTICLES

 HOME BUILDING PROBLEMS - HOME CRAWLSPACE AIR QUALITY
By Before The Architect  Copyright 2003-2009 Before The Architect



 

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hOME BUILDING PROBLEMS - HOME CRAWLSPACE AIR QUALITY

CRAWLSPACE AIR QUALITY 
bulletSpecial consideration shall be made for home foundation crawlspace air quality in this order from more preferential to less preferential (unless your local fire inspector disapproves, whose approval shall be explicitly requested and received before home designing is done for crawlspace air quality and whose disapproval or at least agita may arise from the derivative difficulties in regarding – reasonably or not – that an unvented crawlspace is a plenum)
bulletCrawlspaces shall be regarded as interior to conditioned space, including
bulletHeating and cooling supply and exhaust
bulletContinuous interior, perimeter insulation to barrier moisture and thermal transfer
bulletContinuous crawlspace floor level insulation to barrier moisture
bulletFailing which, then the crawlspace shall be vented, including
bulletThere shall be a continuous moisture and vapor barrier at crawlspace grade
Comment:  It is this home designer’s experience down all the years that the primary force in poor air quality in a home crawlspace is the lack of a continuous barrier to moisture and vapor. 

bulletEach foundation face greater than 3 linear feet in length shall have a foundation vent
bulletEach vent shall be as high on the foundation as possible
bulletEach vent shall be within 3 linear feet of a corner
 
Venting shall not be less than 1 square foot "net free" vent area to 150 square feet of vented surface area, regardless of the area location or physically proximate form of vapor or moisture barrier
bulletNet free vent area shall be the area of a vent opening adjusted by the following factors
bullet1/4 linear inch-1/8 linear inch screen alone or louvers alone= 1.25
bullet1/16 linear inches screen=2.00
bulletLouvers and 1/4 linear inch screen to 1/8 linear inches screen=2.25
bulletLouvers and 1/16 linear inch screen=3.00
 
All reasonable effort shall be made to cross-ventilate each vented area
  Ventilation to establish and maintain air quality in a crawlspace shall be not an offset or substitute for mitigations of, among others:
bulletPoor building standards of 
bulletMoisture management
bulletVapor management
bulletThermal management
bulletRoof covering color
bulletPoor sealing of building envelope
bulletInadequate drainage for
bulletRunoff
bulletFootings
bulletSanitation
bulletPoorly graded site and other landscaping matters

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