Debunking HVAC Myths: Effective Humidity Control for Crawl Spaces

Can using your HVAC system to control crawl space humidity lead to higher energy bills and persistent moisture issues? Join Michael Church from Crawl Space Ninja as he debunks this widespread myth, particularly in the Southern U.S. and regions like Knoxville, Tennessee. We'll explore why simply relying on your HVAC system isn't enough, especially during cooler months or drought periods. Michael shares why a backup dehumidifier is critical and how improper HVAC sizing can wreak havoc on both your energy consumption and home's structural integrity.

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In this episode, Michael emphasizes the importance of proper insulation, air sealing, and installing vapor barriers as part of an effective humidity control strategy. Listeners will gain practical tips for conducting a load test if they opt to use their HVAC system and learn about the role of dehumidifiers as a safeguard. Ensuring your crawl space is adequately prepared can prevent future headaches and costly repairs. Tune in for expert advice on keeping your crawl space dry and your home environment healthy. Make it a happy and blessed day, and we'll catch you next time on Crawl Space Ninja!

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand:

1. Why HVAC systems alone aren’t sufficient: Explore the limitations of HVAC systems in controlling crawl space humidity, particularly in varying seasonal conditions.
2. The importance of a backup dehumidifier: Learn why having a dehumidifier as part of your moisture control strategy is essential for maintaining optimal indoor air quality and preventing structural damage.
3. Proper insulation and air sealing techniques: Discover how these methods, combined with vapor barriers, create an effective defense against moisture infiltration.
4. Conducting a load test: Get step-by-step instructions on performing a load test to ensure your HVAC system is appropriately sized and capable of handling the additional demand of crawl space humidity control.
5. Energy efficiency insights: Understand how improper HVAC sizing can lead to increased energy consumption and higher bills, and what you can do to avoid these pitfalls.

Michael Church brings his expertise to help you navigate the complexities of crawl space maintenance. With a focus on practical, actionable advice, this episode equips homeowners with the knowledge to make informed decisions about their crawl space and overall home environment.

Don't miss this informative episode packed with valuable tips and expert insights. Subscribe to "Healthy Home ABCs with Michael Church" for more content on keeping your home safe, efficient, and healthy. Your crawl space deserves the best care—start your journey with us today!

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Transcript

Michael Church: 0:00

Hey, Michael Church, Crawl Space Ninja. Today we're continuing our crawl space misconception series and today I want to talk about the HVAC system. Around Knoxville there was a lot of contractors HVAC contractors out there that was telling homeowners that the HVAC system can dry out the crawl space. Is that a good idea? Crawl space humidity is a problem in any area where you have either standing water, if you're near a lake or near an ocean or something like that, but also just parts of the South in general and even up around Delaware, obviously, north Carolina, south Carolina, Tennessee, places like that. So keep in mind that a few years ago we had a drought. It was a very severe drought. We had no rain from March until October. Well, guess what? We were still high humidity during the drought. So just because you don't have a lot of rainfall during a period of time doesn't mean your humidity isn't off the chart. So a lot of these HVAC contractors were putting supplies and returns in crawl spaces to control humidity and what we found was that many homeowners, depending on what time of the year it was, they would not run their AC. If it was in March or April, it might be cool enough to open the windows, and in September, October, November it might be cool enough to open the windows. It's still high humidity outside, even though it's cool outside. If you've ever seen that fog roll in, it's nice. High humidity outside, even though it's cool outside. If you've ever seen that fog roll in, it's nice and cool outside. You're probably not running the ac early in the morning, but maybe at two o'clock the sun comes out and starts to heat everything up and you turn that ac back on. Well, you just went from like 3 am until 12 pm with no conditioned air running in that crawl space because the ac did not need to work and during that time that crawl space humidity just went through the roof, got absorbed into the wood and the insulation and then, once it gets absorbed in there, it's more difficult to dry out. So if you are using your HVAC system to control humidity in the crawl space, make sure you have a dehumidifier as a backup in the instance that the AC doesn't kick on for whatever reason.

Michael Church: 2:11

The other problem with using your AC to control humidity is that normally, unless you built it in while you were building the house, the AC is properly sized for the living space. But adding that crawl space cubic footage to that AC just caused the air conditioner to become undersized, which means it has to run more often. It'll create higher energy bills and may not even be able to keep up, depending on how big your crawl space in your home is. So if you're going to go that route where you're using your HVAC system to control humidity, make sure that your HVAC contractor does a load test to calculate the crawl space along with the living space. Make sure that crawl space has great vapor barrier installed. It's properly insulated and air sealed. All the vents are sealed but one to ventilate the soil gases out, and maybe that'll get you through some parts of the year, but not all. I certainly would recommend you put in that backup dehumidifier, just in case. I'm Michael Church Crawl Space Ninja. We hope you make it a happy and blessed day. We'll see you later.