Foundations are metallic vents that are placed right above the dirt line. We have crawling spaces in the exterior of your home that are made for ventilation. More specifically, crawl spaces are designed to increase passive airflow. Thus, they create fresh and clean air and circulate it to spaces where there is no other source of ventilation.
And if it is your first time hearing about them, it means you are remodeling your home. So you might be thinking about whether you should change the vents or not. This is an important question because the previous vents might be old and it is also possible that it is not working properly. Therefore, it won’t be of any use. So whether you should change your vent or not, depends on different factors.
But wait,
The first question is where you will find the vent.
If you are unaware of their existence then you must find it difficult to find them in the market too. So here we have a marketplace for you. You can go to vanityvents and get the premium quality vent covers.
They also offer a complete installation guide for the vents too. So whether you are looking for Foundation Vent Covers or for its installation guide, you will surely find it at vanityvents.com.
Why do you need a new foundation vent?
You might be thinking that if there is already a vent in your crawling space, why do you need a new one? Are there any signs that you should change the old one?
Of course, there are signs that will tell you if you need to change your vent or not. So make sure to pay attention to these signs.
Moisture and humidity issues
Crawl spaces are at a lower level. Therefore, you can also say that they are resting in your home. So they are also under the ground level. This clearly means that the moisture level will be higher in that area. Although this is not a bad thing, it might become worse depending on the situation.
For example, if you introduce warm air in a cool area, it will cause a lot of problems. This will result in relative humidity that will cause condensation in the vent area. And you must be well aware of what condensation will bring.
Cooler air is more likely to increase relative humidity and this will increase molds. And not just molding but also resulting in thriving wood rot and mildew. If the situation lasts for a longer time, you will also observe mice and bugs there.
Therefore, if you are suffering from such problems, it means that your vents are not working properly. So whether you are aware of their existence or not, this is one of the causes of humidity problems in your house. The only solution you will have is to get your vent checked. If it can be recovered, you can do so. Otherwise, you will need to replace it.
You are having higher energy bills without any significant cause
You have been paying electricity bills for months and nothing new happened. So everything is working as per the routine. However, your electricity bills are increasing and you are wondering why. This might be because of the problem with your vents.
If the crawling space has warmer air, it will disturb the whole house. Warmer air means your crawling space is relatively warmer now. This will increase the humidity level. As a result of this, there will be more evaporation that will rise up through your house.
What will be the result of this?
Your whole house will begin to get warm and hot. Thus, your air conditioner will work harder and continuously. As a result of this, it will consume more power and your electricity bill will increase. So the problem started from a single issue and disturbed your whole house.
So if there is some unknown cause of higher bills, you should check your vents. It might be the root cause of your issue.
Your old vent is broken
This is one of the simplest reasons for you to change your vent. Simply go out and check if your foundation vent is in order or if it is broken. In case it has suffered any damage, you will need to replace it.
If you have just shifted to a completely new region, you must not be aware of how their homes are built. Therefore, it is possible that you are unaware of the existence of vents. So if you come across one of the broken vents, you need to change it. It is not something that is useless and is installed for no purpose. It does have a purpose and if it is broken, it means it will cause further issues for you. Therefore, do not ignore the problem.
New additions in the latest vents
If you are remodeling your house and your previous vents are just working fine and there are no serious issues with them, you might think to ignore them. If they are fine, why do you need to replace them?
However, you should know that if you are remodeling your complete house, why leave one weak point? It is possible that the vents get disturbed during remodeling and begin to cause problems after a week or month of your finishing. What will you do then?
Therefore, if you are going through so much, pay just a little attention to this small space too. Furthermore, if you have been using the previous vents for years, they need to be replaced. Why? The simple answer is that the latest ones in the market will offer better performance. Furthermore, after years of use, the old ones are not reliable and they will always be at risk of failure. So why would you take the risk? Make sure to change them on time.