Sub floor ventilation systems are more common than you think. In fact, they are an essential part of your fight against mold, mildew and other pests. Keeping damp away from your home makes it less attractive to pests and healthy for you to live in.
Damp causes mold, which can lead to a variety of health issues.
If you’re thinking about having a sub floor ventilation system fitted or repaired, then you should get professional help; it needs to be installed correctly to do its job.
The Science of Sub Floor Ventilation
The basic premise is the extraction of damp air from your home, which is replaced with dry, fresh air. The system works by having an array of ducts under your home; these are moisture resistant and sound insulated.
The ducts are connected to a pump, or a fan, which basically sucks dry air in from the outside and pushes the damp air under the house out. Moisture in the floor and your house is drawn to the dry air, naturally filling it with moisture; this can then cause damp spots to start appearing as the moisture collects. But, because the pump constantly draws in fresh air, the damp air is expelled before it gets damp enough to cause problems.
Why Should You Have It
If you live in an area that is subject to storms, or even just heavy downpours, the soil under your home is going to become saturated. The rain may not hit it directly but it will absorb moisture from the other soil, round your home.
This moisture will then get into your brickwork and timber, slowly climbing up into your home. It is often referred to as rising damp. Unfortunately, the wood that absorbs this moisture will start to rot, known as wet rot. This can affect the structural stability of your home.
In addition, the rising damp will cause mold to grow, the spores of which can cause an array of health issues, as mentioned earlier.
Damp under your house is also very attractive to pests like termites, other insects, and mice.Once they start living under your home you’ll find it hard to get rid of them. Mice can leave their waste everywhere, giving you diseases in the progress. In the meantime, the termites will quietly eat your house away from under you.
A simple sub floor ventilation system can dramatically reduce the moisture and the risk of pests attacking.
An unpleasant, although not so life-threatening, the side effect is the discoloration of your walls and furnishings as the damp spreads through your home. To combat it you’ll end up using more heating, but this will only disguise the main issue, not resolve it.
The sooner you have your sub floor inspected and ventilated, the lower your risk will be of harboring pests and damaging your own home.
It’s worth noting that a sub floor ventilation system can be free to run, just one or two solar panels on the roof of your home will allow the pump to run constantly, for as long as it can last.
