Slideshow: Sealing a South Carolina Crawlspace
Energy One America operations manager Seth Harris points out surface mildew on the floor trusses in a new house during a crawlspace sealing and conditioning job. In the South Carolina climate, mold tends to grow quickly, even in a very well-ventilated crawlspace — a strong reason to prefer a sealed, conditioned crawl. (Atmospheric humidity, not wood moisture content, is the culprit: Harris measured the moisture content of the trusses at only 16%.) Once this crawlspace is airtight and vapor-tight, and with mechanical dehumidification operating, Energy One will return to scrub away the mildew with a sanitizing cleanser. Given dry conditions, the problem should not re-occur.