Most of us spend 1/3 of our day just sleeping in our homes! When you add in the time spent cooking, eating, enjoying family movie nights etc., you might be surprised at the amount of time you and your family are inside. One thing we take for granted while inside is the quality of the air we breathe. Since you can’t always smell poor air quality, it is difficult to really know the quality of the air you are breathing.
Moisture is a leading cause of health, comfort, and home durability concerns for homeowners. As you are probably aware, moisture leads to mold. In fact, mold flourishes at 60%+ relative humidity. Mold spores float in the air until conditions are right (60% humidity) and then they began to grow on surfaces. Also, dust mites are prolific breeders that thrive in humid conditions. Both mold and dust mites are known triggers for allergic reactions and can really wreak havoc on those suffering from respiratory issues such as asthma.
Per the US EPA:*
Controlling humidity levels not only in your home, but also in the crawl space area is very important as lower humidity levels inhibit mold and dust mites. The air in a crawl space can also be quite “Dirty” as that space is a perfect breeding ground for mold, dust mites, rodents, insects, etc. The air in the crawl space enters the home through cracks and crevices as well as HVAC leaks in in the ductwork. In fact, dirty air from the crawl space is a main culprit of poor air quality for a lot of homeowners.
Sealing the crawl space and conditioning the crawl space air will provide the following benefits that will address the problems mentioned above: