For a proud homeowner, their home is undoubtedly the most precious belonging to them. And rightfully so, given the amount of money and time they’ve spent on keeping their house in top-notch condition.

However, no matter how mindful you are of the problems that arise sometimes, there are few issues that are hard to detect with an untrained eye. These problems have the potential to seriously damage your house.

Pests and moisture are the frequent setbacks most homeowners face while maintaining their homes. Not only are they super hard to get rid of once they settle down, but can also degrade and rot your house.

If you’ve never heard about subfloor ventilation, here’s how they can protect your house from getting damaged:

What is Sub Floor Ventilation?

Subfloor ventilation is a system that helps to extract the damp air from your home and allows fresh air to enter places under the floor. It’s installed within your subfloor space preventing excessive moisture from seeping into your home.

Portable Floors

Similarly, portable subfloors are quite popular too and are a great choice for subfloor ventilation. These are temporary floors that can give a solid surface over sand, turf, grass or any other area where it is required. EverBlock Flooring offers two types of interlocking flooring tiles, a Solid Top and Drainage Top option with aeration holes for proper ventilation for air and water flow.

They can be installed quickly and easily, just lay down the tiles and snap them together with a slight step. Not only are these floors great for outdoor use, but they're extremely durable as well!

How Does Sub Floor Ventilation Work?

Very similar to a roof ventilation system, subfloor ventilation removes the moisture from your home. To perform this task, the system uses moisture-resistant PVC, pumps, fans, and sound-insulated ducting.

We recommend you use this ventilation system only when there’s dry air available for replacing the moisture. There are timed and constantly running machines you can choose from, whichever is suited for your needs.

Why Do You Need Subfloor Ventilation?

Weather plays a critical role in deciding the necessity of subfloor ventilation for your home. Many countries like Australia and India require ventilation as their surroundings contain huge moisture.

Moisture has the power to make the wood and soil under the house damp and this can cause molds. Pests are attracted by mold which ultimately infests your house.

Molds are dangerous for health as they can cause a number of diseases resulting in serious health risks for you and your family.

One way to identify mold infestation is to look for any discoloration forming in the tiles or bricks of your house.

How Can You Identify There’s a Problem?

Many of us have the tendency to overlook a problem until it becomes very apparent. The same is with subfloors.

Sunken floors, odors and molds may be a clear sign of a problem with your subfloors, but there are other signs that indicate problems as well.

For instance, if you notice the air is moist in your living space, then it is a sign that it's coming from your subfloors. If there's a high level of condensation in your windows or if your house feels humid, then you should check the ventilation and subfloors of your house.

Another way is by checking the crawl space for signs of mold, rot or condensation. Search for a build-up of water under your home and discolored timbers. When trying to identify sources of water, look for leaks, signs of mildew or visible mold in the walls, and any condensation or strong odors.

Benefits of Subfloor Ventilation

Other than moisture and dampness causing harm to your home, there are a few more issues that can cause as much damage. For instance, condensation build-up can cause both structural and cosmetic damage.

Or if there is a poor ventilation system, then condensation can end up damaging the wooden supporting structures as well. Not to mention the possibility of having termites, bad odors and allergens that can put your health at risk.

Hence, subfloor ventilation systems are important as they provide an extra outlet for humid air. This prevents the air from cooling too rapidly and creating condensation.

So, here are ways a subfloor ventilation system can benefit your home:

Preventing Build-Up of Radon Gas

For those who are not familiar with radon gas, this is a powerful concentration of gas that can be seriously detrimental to your health. It's odorless and invisible to the eye. Houses that are located near natural rock beds or caves have a higher chance of being at risk.

The worst part is with poor ventilation, radon gas can be lurking in your home at dangerous levels. Installing a subfloor ventilation system will not only take care of the build-up of radon gas, but it will also keep everyone in your home safe.

Dealing with VOC

VOC aka Volatile organic compounds are found in every home. It comes from certain furniture items and household chemicals that you often use.

If the concentration is too high, there are chances the emissions will cause a serious complication to your health. Other than installing a subfloor ventilation system, to avoid raising the level of concentration in your home choose furniture with lower VOC ratings, and make sure to read the labels of any product that contains any chemicals.

Getting Rid of Allergens

Excessive build up of allergens over time isn't new to those who deal with a poor ventilation system. A subfloor ventilation system will reduce the stress on your main ventilation allowing it to do what it does best and in turn, get rid of the allergens!

Even though most allergens are light and settle at the lower levels of a room, they still present a threat to your health. A good subfloor ventilation system will keep your home allergen-free.

Reducing the Risk of Back Drafting

We all know how devastating and traumatic fire can be for those involved. Losing their homes, belongings and even loved ones is something nobody wants to go through.

An insufficient ventilation system can make matters worse as there is a great chance of back drafting. Back drafting is when air is pulled into the house adding more fuel to an already burning fire.

Subfloor ventilation has the ability to maintain this pressure much better and helps to reduce the risk of back drafting if there's a fire. Installing this system might not help to put out the fire, but will help to keep the danger from escalating any further.

Fighting Moisture, Molds and, Termites

As discussed from the beginning, moisture is the most dangerous nemesis of a house. Moisture creates mold and as we all know molds are the breeding ground for a number of pests who just love damp environments.

Speaking of pests infesting your home, beware of termites. These pesky pests can wreak major havoc on the timber frame of your house. They love to breed in dampness because it serves as a nice food source for them. All of which can be found in a house with insufficient ventilation systems.

A good subfloor ventilation system can benefit your home by preventing moisture buildup and creating molds. Just by distributing the air in the system, the ventilation will keep the underneath part of the timber dry, cool and unappealing to pests.

Fighting Bad Odors

Nothing gets a problem fixed faster than a bad odor. Unfortunately, many homeowners are unaware of the fact that they need to air out their subfloor areas until they notice a bad smell.

If you can identify a musty smell coming from underneath your house, then you can be sure there's mold present. As they thrive in damp areas, you should check to see if there is any buildup of water. And also make sure to get rid of the moisture from the source before ventilating the area.

Disadvantages of Subfloor Ventilation

As with any system with benefits, there have to be some setbacks too. And just like any other ventilation that decreases in performance over a long period, subfloor ventilation is no different. There could be various reasons for that.

One of these might be the over usage without any maintenance. This can rapidly decline the effectiveness of the machine. Another way your subfloor ventilation may show problems is when soil particles get stuck in the system.

As a homeowner, you have to keep up regular maintenance and check-ups of the machines you use, and also keep your house in top-notch condition!

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, we'd like to say that if you're a homeowner, and you don't have a subfloor ventilation system, then now is the time to invest in one.

Molds, termites, chances of escalating fire, and the silent but deadly radon gas are not issues to be taken lightly. If you want to prevent any damage or accidents from happening to your home or your family then subfloor ventilation can do that.

After all, it is the duty of a homeowner to keep the house safe and perfectly liveable for their family.

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