Your Subfloor Ventilation Sydney May Need Doubling
03/12/2021
The area underneath the home can become very quickly filled with moisture which, in turn, can rise through the house and cause mould and rising damp issues. These issues are serious, particularly so when there are existing respiratory conditions present in your family. Mould and rising damp can exacerbate such conditions and cause them when none otherwise exist. Best practice when you have a sub floor void is to install sub floor vents. Indeed, recent research points towards the fact that most subfloor ventilation in Sydney may need doubling.
Furthermore, many houses that already have subfloor ventilation installed may need to double the ventilation that is currently present, depending on the type of vent that is being used. Air bricks are traditionally placed on either side of the house and pull in a cross breeze that ventilates underneath the house. This removes moisture build-up in the air. However, subfloor installations are not always effective, so we recommend installing air bricks on all sides of the house to maximise the air flow underneath the building structure.
By doubling your existing sub floor ventilation you cater to variations in wind direction and ensure good circulation underneath the entire house. With double-sided subfloor ventilation installed, the cross breeze may not actually reach certain parts of your subfloor void. With four-sided subfloor ventilation installed, you ensure that every corner of the subfloor void is ventilated. This prevents mould and rising damp to the greatest extent possible.
It is also very important to clean your subfloor vents frequently as they often become clogged with insects and other debris. This prevents airflow from entering underneath the house and so it follows that you should clean your vents regularly. Following cleaning, it is also a good idea to replace older terracotta vents with now louvered ones to improve sub floor ventilation. This is important to ensure your timber joists, wall-plates and floor boards are kept suitably dry (below 16-18% moisture content) so they are not at risk of timber decay.
You will be able to tell if your subfloor ventilation is not sufficient if abnormal moisture levels appear on the upper side of your timber floors. If you can feel your floorboards moving when you tread on them, it is likely that the decay has already started. It could be the walls that are suffering too much exposure to moisture or it could be the joists in the floor.
Along with doubling your subfloor ventilation, you can do more to reduce instances of mould and rising damp in your home. Remove flowerbeds that are pressed up against external walls. Similarly, if you’re replacing the paths that circle your home, then make sure to hire a professional contractor to avoid too much moisture escaping under the house. Also, check any pipes under the house for leaks because this can quite easily build up and cause the aforementioned problems.
Contact Extract Air today if you have noticed moisture build up on your floorboards or walls inside your home. We will rapidly call out to your residence and perform an inspection before providing a quote and commencing work with your approval. We have been operating for over 20 years and always produce high quality work that lasts. Call us today on 0405 343 999 to start the process of installing subfloor ventilation.
