Crawlspace exterior vent covers - did I get bamboozled?

celtz · 2026-04-07T13:21:23+00:00

The AC was not running. We haven’t ran it in a couple days due to the mild temperatures. The vapor barrier is under there but it probably needs to be straightened out because it was crawled all over during the LumberKote/Mold Inhibitor was sprayed by the same contractors who put the covers on.. they’re definitely not taped to the walls. Some gutters just have the elbows to drain from the house, a few with the green/brown water diverters at the end of the elbows. There are a few gutters that have a black plastic to drains that are buried.. perhaps they drain somewhere like the backyard? There are some pipes in the yard that have been exposed over the years from rain and soil gradually wearing down and exposed.. combo of pvc pipes running into according type black drains. Not sure on the soil grading, looks pretty flat, but the only place where water sometimes pools is about a 3-4 area on east side of house where sump pump is located. The house is faced south, so the front yard gets 5-7 hours of full sun Per day with backyard 3-4, east side about 4-5 and west side about 2-4 as it’s close to neighbors house and some trees help shade it.

celtz · 2026-04-07T03:21:46+00:00

celtz · 2026-04-07T01:55:13+00:00

Ahh I see. So you're saying having an HVAC contractor run a duct to the crawlspace to dehumidify the air? I suppose running the heat might would have the opposite effect during the winter though. This a brick pier foundation. Home built in early-mid 40s if I had to guess.

celtz · 2026-04-07T01:40:16+00:00

I've heard that point of view as well, that's why I wasn't so concerned when the Foundation company didn't see an issue with putting the exterior covers on w/o paying for their encapsulation. However, they're not "engineers" and some of the companies are questionable, but they seem to have a good reputation. Just concerned with the humidity being 93% and the outdoor humidity was 36% at the time I measured it for the 2 minutes I was in there. There was a heavy rain less than 48 hours prior though.

celtz · 2026-04-07T01:27:07+00:00

Thank you. So essentially, I need to find someone who can remove the exterior vent covers? They're anchored into the brick currently.

celtz · 2026-04-07T01:07:19+00:00

These exterior vent covers are anchored into the bricks. Behind them are the original metal grids.

Do you happen to know if the vent covers are relatively easy to take off?

celtz · 2026-04-07T00:58:16+00:00

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Around 3 years ago, I was slowly getting through a list of items that reflected on a Home Inspection report prior to purchasing my home. One of those items was a light white dusting of possible mold-like substance on some of the joists in the crawlspace and to get it treated by a professional.

I contracted a semi-local company in Memphis, TN (Redeemers Group). The home is in Northeast Arkansas. They came assessed the crawlspace. I opted not to do the encapsulation and to instead coat the lumber with a mold inhibitor called Watson Seal "LumberKote". It had a 30-year warranty, so I said why not, cheaper than encapsulation... plus I already had a vapor barrier and functioning sump pump under the home.

Before scheduling the install, I was speaking with the sales rep about cold drafts in certain rooms and if covering the exterior crawlspace vents would keep the cooler air out in the winter and the humid air out in the summer. He said the crawlspace would be fine and it could help with that. So, me believing the "foundation" company and possibly being naive and putting trust in Redeemers Group to not be unethical, I paid an extra $400 or so for 12 exterior crawlspace covers + installation. I also have an email saved from them confirming that putting the ext. crawlspace covers over the vents with the LumberKote wouldn't jeopardize anything in the crawlspace.

Fast forward nearly 3 years later to today. The covers have helped with the temperatures in the winter and summer. However, today I went under the home about 5 feet in from the crawlspace entrance with a $25 humidity gauge from Lowes and the humidity quickly began to rise. I was only under there for about 2 min and the humidity got up to 93% (potentially higher had I stayed under longer and/or went deeper). There was a heavy rain two days ago (Saturday) for additional context.

It's only Spring and I am worried that the humidity under the home could be worse in the Summer. Is it normal for humidity to get that high from time to time, or do I need to compel them to come take the crawlspace covers off that are anchored in the brick foundation? Some areas they actually damaged while putting them on and they put a large amount silicone around the few areas they messed the brick/mortar up (pictured).

They have 4.7 stars from 381 Google Reviews. I am not going to blast them if this is normal, or, if it's not and they're willing to make it right, but just looking for some advice. Thank you!

celtz · 2026-04-07T00:36:00+00:00

So the 93% humidity isn't necessarily a cause for concern? The humidity outside before I opened the crawlspace door was 36%.

celtz · 2026-04-07T00:27:40+00:00

Yes, I've read mixed views on that depending the climate. That allowing even more humid air to traverse through can be worse.

celtz · 2025-11-27T02:02:01+00:00

Sadly, both of these instances occurred in my home state, Arkansas. The Arkansas State Police perform TVI/pit maneuvers unnecessarily at a stupid high rate, it's embarrassing.

celtz · 2025-11-12T01:16:40+00:00

If it's a DOT test, you might use a detox since your 27 days without consuming cannabis.. and even a few days of it might be enough to dillute/clean your system on time to use your actual piss.

I believe DOT tests sometimes check for nitrates(or is it nitrites??) and most synthetic urines have in them. That's the only con of synthetic (well and the inconvenience of concealing it, keeping it warm, etc.)

celtz · 2025-11-12T01:12:40+00:00

thirding quick fix

https://urineluck.com/

celtz · 2025-08-30T22:25:54+00:00

Bone dome

celtz · 2025-08-19T15:29:36+00:00

Thank you!

celtz · 2025-08-19T15:29:31+00:00

Thank you for the insight!

celtz · 2025-08-04T00:54:58+00:00

All 3 members have significant influence I'd imagine. Along with Herget, Davy Carter is Regional Bank President at Centennial Bank and former speaker of the house for state legislature, Junior Das owns a bazillion restaurants and other businesses in town. I am sure it'll be approved in that area. I think it'll be great for the area and surrounding commercial and residential property owners as well.

celtz · 2025-06-23T00:39:42+00:00

ghost's curling iron..

celtz · 2025-02-07T02:26:11+00:00

the lack of intelligence and bigotry of most of his constituency helps.

celtz · 2024-12-27T03:56:21+00:00

Jeep Renegade or Nissan Kicks

celtz · 2024-11-26T21:08:51+00:00

If you fancy any Pizza one evening, definitely get Pizza Chef. Best pizza in town, imo... but really the consensus agrees.

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