We are often asked about seasonally opening and closing the vents in your foundation. Here are some things to think about.
Here in Portland it is usually a good idea to close off most, if not all of your crawl space vents when the temperature outside drops below fifty degrees. This temperature average drop occurs here in Portland around the middle of October.
On the East Side, nearer the Gorge, it is much more important due to the cold winds that can quickly freeze pipes near these vents.
You need to look at your foundation vents, if you can find them. We see a lot of vents completely plugged and blocked by bark dust and general debris.
Homes that were built in different times were built to different building codes. Before the 1970’s there were different codes in different counties and municipalities. This means that the air venting standards for attics and crawl spaces that were once considered good may now be inadequate by modern standards.
The real issue is if the vents are adequate for the current conditions. If your crawl space is dry, with no musty smell, and your floors are not noticeably cold, you probably have adequate venting. If not give us a call for an inspection of your Crawl Space and foundation today..