Homeowners are often house proud and with good reason.
Buying a house is a huge investment, and not to be taken lightly.
Unfortunately, at times even the best constructed properties can experience moisture entering via the subfloor. This could be condensation or other types of damp affecting your living space.
Some tell-tale signs that you have a moisture problem is a stale musty smell entering your home. You may also see sign of damp in your home. These may include mould growing and peeling wallpaper at your wall to floor junction.
If that’s an issue, it would be prudent to invest in subfloor ventilation. This will help combat the impact of damp and safeguard the health of both the building and your family.
What is subfloor ventilation?
As explained in The Spruce, ‘a subfloor is a solid base underneath your floor covering that you depend on for the stability of a room’s floors and walls.’
In your home this space that’s generally dark and can become damp. This can lead to potential damage to your home and health risks to your family.
Subfloor ventilation is a remedy for these risks and has been likened to ‘opening a window and forcing fresh, cool, and clean air through your house and out the other side.’
Just as your walls and floor work together to create a structurally sound system, so too subfloor ventilation creates a system that draws out the damp, stale air from your home and circulates fresh air under your floor.
These two aspects of subfloor ventilation can restore the right balance of moisture in your subfloor, thus treating the cause of damp-related damage.
Does a subfloor need ventilation?
Unfortunately, at times it’s the signs that damage has already been done that lets us know a subfloor needs ventilation.
Squeaking floorboards or rotting floor timbers are likely to indicate inadequate sub floor ventilation.
All suspended floors need sub floor ventilation. Concrete infills of part of your ground floor reduce ventilation. So do high external ground levels, sometimes blocking original ventilation. Furthermore, your home may have decorative vents, which are inefficient.
These signs are not just unpleasant; they can also be a hazard to your health. Stale and damp air are perfect conditions for wet and dry rot and wood boring beetles.
On a human level, excessive moisture can exacerbate symptoms of allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems. Certainly not what you would like to expose your loved ones to.
For your home itself, moisture in a building from the subfloor can lead to rotting timber. Word worm may also be present. This can compromise the structure and safety of your home.
Without adequate subfloor ventilation, these issues can lead to warped floors, damp and ruined carpets, health-compromising odours and mould growth and costly damage.
How does subfloor ventilation work?
A subfloor can be ventilated by placing vents on the external opposing walls in the subfloor of your home.
Subfloor ventilation systems generally include vents that work to extract stale, damp air and circulate fresh, dry air into the subfloor.
Depending on the area, ducting may be required to distribute the air. As the air is now able to circulate, it restores the correct moisture balance in the subfloor.
What are the requirements for subfloor ventilation in the UK?
BS 525 Management of Moisture in Buildings states that 4.4 ‘Floors next to the ground and floors exposed from below should be designed and constructed so that their structural and thermal performance are not adversely affected by interstitial condensation.’
As a result, UK building regulations stipulate the requirements for subfloor ventilation in the UK.
- Two opposing external walls should have ventilation openings placed so that the ventilated air will have a free path between opposite sides and to all sides
- The openings should not be less than either 1,500 mm2/m run of external wall or 500 mm2/m2 of floor area, whichever is the greater opening area
- Any pipes needed to carry ventilated air should have a diameter of at least 100mm
- Ventilated air space must be at least 75mm from the ground covering to any wall plates and at least 150mm to the underside of the suspended timber floor
- Ventilation openings must incorporate suitable grills to prevent vermin entering the subfloor without causing a restriction in airflow
Benefits of installing subfloor ventilation
BS 525 Management of Moisture in Buildings states ‘Moisture in buildings is a significant cause of many building failures, including some building related occupant health problems.’
Subfloor ventilation offers a you peace of mind that your two most precious assets, your loved ones and your home, are protected from health issues and costly damage that could otherwise arise from moisture in your home.
How much does it cost to install subfloor ventilation?
The cost of installing subfloor ventilation will depend on several factors including the size of the building and any ducting required, the choice of ventilation products, as well as any existing damage that may first need to be addressed.
To find out more about costs of installing your subfloor ventilation contact the professional and experienced team at Atlantis Property to arrange a survey of your property’s unique needs and a quote to protect your home with subfloor ventilation.