Can Vent Covers Stop Wood Rot?

Most crawl spaces in North Carolina are equipped with vents. This is because of the common misconception that the humidity in a crawl space can be aired out. Local building laws have yet to be rewritten to reflect what contractors now know is true: that it’s impossible to air out a crawl space and it’s better to try to keep the moisture out completely. 

Complete waterproofing of your crawl space can seem like a daunting idea, so you might try to go for something a little simpler. However, when it comes to humidity in your crawl space, less isn’t more. 

• What Vent Covers Do and Don’t Do  

Vent covers are placed over your vents to cover them up. They come in different sizes and materials and are pretty simple to install. They keep a lot of water and air from entering the crawl space through the vents and also make it more difficult for animals and insects from making a home out of the crawl space. The humidity levels in a crawl space drop by an increased amount once the vents are covered up. They are especially useful in places like North Carolina, where flooding is frequent. 

However, vent covers will not stop wood rot. They may delay wood rotting, but it’s something you will have to deal with eventually if all you have set up are vent covers. Unencapsulated crawl spaces are still capable of getting flooded due to leaking, either from the pipes or from a plumbing issue within the house. 

• What Truly Works to Deter Wood Rot  

So, if vent covers don’t work by themselves, what’s the solution? To truly keep your crawl space’s humidity levels acceptable, you will need to call an expert to fully waterproof your crawl space. This involves cleaning out and replacing any rotten wood from the crawl space, then insulation, encapsulation, and the installment of an interior drainage system, a sump pump, and a dehumidifier. All of this may sound overwhelming, but it is the only way to make sure your wooden support beams and concrete stay strong and sound. 

The insulation is meant for thermal control while the encapsulation is meant to keep the crawl space completely isolated from the outside world. Any water that comes through will be immediately intercepted by the interior drainage system and pumped out by the sump pump so it won’t be a problem. As for humidity, the dehumidifier is meant to keep the moisture levels low.