As a homeowner, you may not spend much time thinking about what is under your floors. After all, you’ve probably spent enough time making your home look fantastic, and then you’ve had to deal with the outside. It’s a never-ending cycle.
However, you should spend a few moments thinking about your sub-floor and whether it has adequate ventilation.
The Issue With Sub Floors
The space under your floor is useful; it allows cables and drainage to be run out of sight. It also elevates your home, helping to protect against rising damp or even saturated soil. But, because it is against the ground, it will also encourage damp into the space. Unfortunately, damp attracts pests and mold.
Mold is known to cause a variety of health issues, if you notice damp and mold at floor level you need to start thinking about the space under your floor. This is where ventilation comes in.
How Sub Floor Ventilation Work
The key to decent subfloor ventilation is to use high-quality products. Moisture rises through the soil and penetrates the under floor space. If the moisture isn’t removed it will cause damp and mold. The most effective way to remove damp air is to replace it with cool air.
It’s important that cool air is used as cold air carries less moisture. If you push the warm air out from under your floors and replace it with cold you’ll be pushing the moisture out and reducing its ability to build up in the subfloor.
To do this you need a fan system. The fan can pull air in or push it out, either is acceptable as both methods cause air to circulate under the floor. Of course, there will need to be two openings, one for the extraction fan and one to allow air in and out.
It’s a good idea to add filters into these openings as these will prevent mold and other allergens from coming under your house and potentially into your home.
It is worth noting that many homes use vents to allow natural airflow under the existing floor. This is a viable option in many cases. But, there are times when this won’t eliminate the dam. This is because the airflow is inadequate or the moisture levels under the floor are too high.
That’s why fitting an extraction fan is a good idea.
Things To Be Aware Of
You’ll need to consider where the openings are made, you don’t want to be encouraging rainwater into your subfloor space! You will need to be able to access the fans as they’ll need regular maintenance.
It’s also a good idea to use solar power to charge batteries to run the fans at night when the air is coolest. This will prevent the ventilation system from costing you anything in the long term.
Damp attracts pests, if you have wood in your floors and damp subfloors you’re likely to attract termites, the subfloor ventilation system can prevent this, effectively saving you a lot of money and hassle.
