Pest Management Professional, March 2014
t here has been a great deal of debate on whether to vent or close a crawl space Vented crawl spaces worked great until the invention of air conditioning When a family cools their home to 72 during the summer and the air outside is 85 with a 80 relative humidity it creates condensation on the fl oor joists insulation and pipes and ducts No amount of ventilation will solve the problem at this point This constant condensation during the summer months causes wood rot and mold and attracts all types of insects including termites Closing a crawl space which includes sealing the vents insulating the walls creating a vapor barrier and conditioning the air in the crawl space is now considered the best practice standard Closing the crawl space in new construction is being reviewed for adoption in many building codes as well as by LEED homes and NAHB Green homes The leading research on this subject was performed by Advanced Energy under a grant from the U S Department of Energy see www crawlspaces org This research identifi es the common symptoms of a crawl space moisture problem as Mold or moisture damage in the crawl space or living area Musty odors in the living area Condensation sweating on air conditioning ductwork or equipment Condensation on insulation water pipes or truss plates in the crawl space Buckled hardwood fl oors High humidity in the living area Insect infestations Rot in wooden framing members Closing the crawl space creates a clean conditioned space under the home and provides the following benefi ts Improves air quality throughout the home Saves up to 18 in heating and cooling costs in the Southeast Reduces mold and wood decay on fl oor joists Reduces buckling of hardwood fl oors Creates warmer fl oors in the winter Before After Reduces pest and termite pressure More than 76 million homes in the U S are currently built on crawl spaces 18 of all new homes built in the U S are built on crawl spaces This presents a great opportunity for the pest control industry to signifi cantly improve families quality of life save millions of dollars in energy usage and make the job of maintaining pest free homes for your customers a little easier Please give us a call to fi nd out more about this opportunity Why Close a Crawl Space APE APLES BORA FOAM 4 x180 1 ROLL 8 MIL 20 x100 ROLL BOX OF 1000 TERMITE RESIST R 11 EPS FOAM BOARD 1699 25599 2499 2999 According to research done by Advanced Energy and funded by the U S Department of Energy Crawlspace Depot is a registered trademark of Crawlspace Depot LLC Bora Foam is a registered trademark of Nisus Corporation 2014Crawlspace Depot LLC PMP CSD 0314 1 888 331 9991 www CrawlspaceDepot com Set up an account online then call to receive the installer pricing shown
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