During winter, the basement or foundation vents allow air to pass inside your house and cool down the floor. It decreases the inside temperature and kills the warmness of your property. The cold air entered through vents locks the moisture and develops mold.
It is necessary to prevent cold air from entering the foundation vent to maintain the temperature and avoid other problems. By vent blocking, you can also protect house pipes. This write-up will help you know all the winterization tips and DIY methods to cover the vent.
Along with vent coverage, it is essential to do other things to prevent cold air from entering the basement. It is hard to call a professional immediately to do this job. Instead, you can use DIY methods to do everything by yourself. You must follow all the mentioned tips and keep your house warm in winter without any professional help.
How to Install the DIY Foundation Vent Cover?
You can buy foundation vent covers and install them with professional help. But in an emergency, you do not have enough time to make a purchase, so you can prefer a DIY method. You must cover the vent to avoid cold air moving inside the house through the vent. You must measure the vent dimensions using tape.
If your house vent is divided into two or more parts, take the measurements of each part. After that, take a foam insulation sheet and cut it as per the measurements. Once you cut the pieces, try to cover the vent, which should be tightly fit on it so that it cannot be removed easily.
Now, using the circular saw, you must cut a rectangular plywood piece of half an inch with a width of two inches. Keep the insulation foam in the center over the plywood and glue it together using a strong adhesive. Now, use a wood primer for proper and smooth coating and paint a matching color.
When winter starts, you must do this and cover the vent adequately. It is necessary to remove the cover in the spring. It is easy to locate these vents but if you cannot see them, then find them in the bushes. Generally, it is above the ground, and you can see them on every side of your house.
DIY Winterization Tips
1. Cleaning the Gutters
A gutter is not a part of your house. But if it is clogged, water can spill towards your building and accumulate moisture. In severe cases, water can enter the basement through vents or cracks due to hydrostatic pressure.
It is necessary to clean gutters at least two times a year. You can avoid doing so in winter as snow is impossible. If you clean gutters before winter, it prevents ice build-up. If you cannot do this job, you must call a professional for this task. You should also attach gutter guards to prevent the accumulation of debris with time.
2. Sealing and Insulating the Rim Joist
If there is any cavity in the rim joist, it can cause air leakage along with heat loss. Due to condensation in winter, rotting and molding can be the main problems. You can locate it above the basement and determine the cavity by your house footprint.
There is a DIY method that you can follow. You can buy a foam kit made up of polyurethane from the hardware store and use it for sealing and insulating the air. The spray foam is quite expensive but is easy to install.
3. Repair Foundation Cracks
Through cracks, water can enter the basement when the snow melts. It is essential to repair all the cracks you find on every side of your house. In this way, you can prevent mold and other issues. You can use adhesives or DIY crack injections to fill them.
But it can fail in freezing temperatures because epoxy can easily crack. You can do this job effectively if the cracks are minor. In the case of broad and deep cracks, you must call a professional for help.
4. Insulating Metal Pipes
If you have exposed metal pipes in the basement, they can freeze or burst in extremely cold temperatures. Such water damage can be very expensive and needs to be avoided. If you have boilers, the pipes without insulation will lose heat due to cold walls.
You must use foam insulation to wrap metal pipes and avoid freezing or other damage. You can get all the necessary items from the hardware store. A professional can also help you with the insulation task.
5. Sealing Basement Windows and Vents
Windows and vents are the main sources of air leakage, and it needs to be blocked in any way. In extremely cold temperatures, ice can freeze, and when it melts, it leads to moisture accumulation and mold. It will also freeze pipes, which leads to expensive repairs.
Sealing all the vents and basement windows correctly is better for preventing air leakage. After closing the vents through a DIY method, you must use the insulation foam along with the vapor barrier. It will help maintain the house temperature, and no damage will happen.
The Bottom Line
If you stay in a location with extremely cold weather, the time has come to protect your house from unnecessary damages and expensive repairs. You cannot stay comfortably in a cold place due to air leakage in the basement. It is necessary to insulate the vents or other openings of the basement. You cannot call for help in an emergency, so that you can do the insulation by yourself through an amazing DIY method.
Closing vents can solve your problem but other things should also be done as mentioned in the above tips. You can do a lot to prevent winterization of your house. DIY methods can help you save money and protect your house from unnecessary damage. You can also save money by avoiding expensive repairs.