Conducive Condition: Insufficient Ventilation

Pests

Termites, Most Other Insects

Description

Construction standards dictate a minimum amount of ventilation in attics, crawlspaces, and walls.  Sometimes those aren’t included because of poor building practices or subsequent owners cover the ventilation.  For attics, there are ridge vents, soffit screens, or turbines.  Crawl spaces have vent screens. Walls have vent screens or weep holes.

Why it’s a problem

Insufficient Ventilation can lead to massive amounts of moisture.  Termites and other insects thrive in damp conditions.  For crawl spaces, high moisture can restrict expert’s ability to conduct inspections to find termite problems.

What to do about it

Consult with a home inspector about the proper regulations for ventilation in your area and make changes if needed. If weep holes in brick walls have been filled with caulk or mortar, remove the filling as soon as you can.  Copper wool can be used for large weep holes to prevent rodent entry, but allow for ventilation.  As a side note, our experience is that filling weep holes with copper wool does not usually help with insect pests, spiders, or scorpions.