Dry It Out!

Crawl space air is managed with a dehumidifier. It is a mechanical device that pulls excess moisture from the air and condenses it into water. The water discharges into a sump pump or drainage system. The classic use of the dehumidifier was for finished home basements that had poor water management around the home’s foundation.

Dehumidifiers should only be used in sealed crawl space areas such as an encapsulated crawl space or a closed crawl space with a vapor barrier. They are ineffective in an open system. Dehumidifiers will capture excess moisture that gets pass the mechanical barriers or from the outside air. The EPA recommends maintaining relative humidity in the 30-50% range.

The use of a dehumidifier has several advantages. A dehumidifier: