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Serving the Lowcountry & Grand Strand Regions
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Humidity is and always will be a fact of life for all of us here at the beautiful South Carolina Coast. The subtropical climate, scenic shoreline and plentiful wetlands that make our area such a wonderful place to call home are not without a price, and persistent moisture - with its effects on our dwellings and our health - can carry a hefty tag. We local homeowners are subject to some if not all of these byproducts of our humid environment:
> Mold > Dust Mites/Allergens > Structural Damage > Sick Home Syndrome
> Musty Odors & Mildew > Respiratory Illness > Termite Infestation > Chronic Sinus Infections
If these symptoms are improperly treated or left unaddressed nature will run its course over time much to the detriment of your slice of coastal paradise as remediation and repair expenses could ultimately be staggering and financially burdensome. Please check out the Moisture Problems section of our site to learn about the warning signs as well as the health and structural issues that can result from moisture in our homes.
Fortunately your neighbors at Coastal Dry Home personally and thoroughly delved into researching the available "solutions", both real and perceived. Not because we were in the business (we weren't - we were fully immersed in totally unrelated professions at the time), and not because we had any deep desire to learn about this stuff, but because we had to. You see, the beautiful 10-year old house we'd recently purchased in the Pawleys Island area turned out to be an oversized, moisture-laden Petri dish, replete with musty odors and recurring mildew accumulation. Termites had left their mark. The crawl space was damp, cold, dank. Without treatment extensive Mold growth and Sick Home Syndrome - if not already present - were surely in our future as the environment was beyond ripe for these conditions.
So, it was our house, it would be our expense, and money was tight. We were the consumer looking for the most effective, reliable, long-lasting yet economically-friendly cure for our home's illness. In other words, we were YOU!
> Mold > Dust Mites/Allergens > Structural Damage > Sick Home Syndrome
> Musty Odors & Mildew > Respiratory Illness > Termite Infestation > Chronic Sinus Infections
If these symptoms are improperly treated or left unaddressed nature will run its course over time much to the detriment of your slice of coastal paradise as remediation and repair expenses could ultimately be staggering and financially burdensome. Please check out the Moisture Problems section of our site to learn about the warning signs as well as the health and structural issues that can result from moisture in our homes.
Fortunately your neighbors at Coastal Dry Home personally and thoroughly delved into researching the available "solutions", both real and perceived. Not because we were in the business (we weren't - we were fully immersed in totally unrelated professions at the time), and not because we had any deep desire to learn about this stuff, but because we had to. You see, the beautiful 10-year old house we'd recently purchased in the Pawleys Island area turned out to be an oversized, moisture-laden Petri dish, replete with musty odors and recurring mildew accumulation. Termites had left their mark. The crawl space was damp, cold, dank. Without treatment extensive Mold growth and Sick Home Syndrome - if not already present - were surely in our future as the environment was beyond ripe for these conditions.
So, it was our house, it would be our expense, and money was tight. We were the consumer looking for the most effective, reliable, long-lasting yet economically-friendly cure for our home's illness. In other words, we were YOU!
So . . . What's a Homeowner to do?
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Determined to uncover the cause of our situation first so we could then weigh our remediation options, we poured over information from a variety of sources and in doing so learned about the "Stack Effect" - a naturally occurring phenomenon that draws the stale, repugnant, moisture-laden crawl space air up to the living area and into our lungs (wow - what a truly refreshing discovery....). After the subsequent and seemingly endless exhale of all the air in our lungs we proceeded to explore our potential solutions - both the well-advertised and otherwise - and arrived at the following short list:
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Possible Solution #1: Like so many homeowners in the area, just deal with it. Moisture is as common to our region as black-eyed peas, palmetto trees and sweet teas. Adapt and to it and move on. To the ultimate demise of our house and our health??? Umm....No.
Possible Solution #2: Attic Exhaust Fans. I know some homes with crawl spaces down here have them, but really? What better way to enhance the Stack Effect than to create suction from the top of the house. Our mission was to stop crawl space air from entering our living area, not draw more of it in. Not an option for us.
Possible Solution #3: Dehumidifier(s). Well, we used one of these in our previous home. They sure do extract moisture from the air, but: 1) they use a lot of electricity, 2) each unit only treats a specific area - we would need several dehumidifiers to accommodate the entire living space, 3) the same air is recycled continuously - there is no ventilation or air exchange involved, and 4) they either have to be emptied regularly or hooked up to drain lines (and we've seen the messes they can cause when they leak). Costly on an ongoing basis, high maintenance and most likely would not solve our air quality issues. Next...
Possible Solution #4: Crawl Space Encapsulation. In other words, seal off the entire area including all the vents thereby creating a completely self-contained, "clean" space that we could also use for storage. Sounded good in theory - and these sales guys were smooth - until we got to thinking it through with some of the knowledge we had acquired in our general research. What kind of air would we be breathing from a crawl space that is nearly fully encased in plastic sheeting, i.e.: a partly subterranean dead zone - a Toxic Tomb?? What would be festering that we would not see between the plastic seal and the cool, condensation-attracting foundation walls over time? We just couldn't envision any positive result in the long run from such a stagnant, unventilated environment; and that's before we even gave any thought to the very substantial investment required for an encapsulation job - we received estimates of $12k-$14k in labor and materials (including a dehumidification unit) for our 1800 sq. ft. crawl space that is 3' high at its tallest point. Hmm . . . no wonder those guys were smooth salesmen . . . This would not be a viable solution as it could potentially exacerbate our condition and ultimately become a hugely expensive failure of epic proportions.
(Read more about our Crawl Space Encapsulation decision making journey by clicking here.)
(Read more about our Crawl Space Encapsulation decision making journey by clicking here.)
Possible Solution #5: Crawl Space Ventilation Fans. So the plan here is to get the air circulating under the house by installing one or more of these exhaust fans in existing crawl space vents while leaving other vents open (we could also add an optional intake fan to increase the flow of outside air into the crawl space). Some are equipped with climate-based controls that affect fan operation (on/off) according to the humidity and/or temperature. This option is making some sense as the movement of air under the house should eliminate stagnancy and many of the resulting odors, plus the price is reasonable and the installation would be relatively simple. But, back to that ol' Stack Effect, we're still breathing crawl space air in our living area - better air for sure, but still unconditioned and typically humid coastal SC air nonetheless. (Consider also that the vents are located closer to the top of the crawl space. This means that moist, heavy air would continue to accumulate at the floor level and thereby retain a damp crawl space condition). So while we'd definitely have a healthier crawl space environment and improved conditions, we were not confident that this solution would eliminate all of our moisture-related issues. Plus, thinking back to middle school science days, the heat specificity of water is far greater than that of air, meaning it would cost considerably more to heat and cool this continuous flow of humid air than it would to affect the temperature of drier air. We were getting closer and could definitely see some merits to this option, but we needed to do something about fully drying out the crawl space and either stopping or reversing the Stack Effect.
Possible Solution #6: Mechanical Moisture Control & Ventilation. A complete and very affordable system that combines the benefits of sealing the crawl space from humid outside air with a ventilation/exhaust system while also reversing the Stack Effect, thereby ensuring that only fresh, clean, dry air is being breathed by all of us in the living area - our primary goal. The crawl space vents are sealed and a vapor barrier consisting of plastic sheeting is laid over the entire crawl space floor surface. The main unit expels the crawl space air outdoors from its lowest point while a secondary booster unit installed in the floor above draws dry replenishment air from the house into the crawl space. A dehumidistat on the main unit is set to the desired humidity and once that level is achieved the system drops into maintenance mode. A backdraft damper prevents crawl space air from reentering the home above. In theory the result should be a dry, healthy living area and crawl space devoid of musty odors and all other associated problems.
Hmm . . . An intriguing concept.
Hmm . . . An intriguing concept.
Finally . . . An Effective and Lasting Cure for the Moisture-Sick Home!
After extensive research that included speaking with the manufacturer's engineering department, reviewing their performance guarantee and perusing a number of reviews and testimonials we made our decision to purchase the Moisture Control & Ventilation (MCV) System and install it ourselves - a moderately simple job for the handy homeowner who doesn't mind working in a damp, musty, cramped crawl space for several hours.
Within a few days of firing up the system with an initial humidity setting of 50% the results were astonishing! Gone was the persistent musty odor in both the house and the crawl space. No trace of the previously relentless mildew issues. The air in the house felt dry and our Heat Pumps were no longer running incessantly. But what finally sealed the deal was when our pest control guy came for the annual termite inspection a couple of weeks after installation and unsolicitedly remarked that ours was the driest crawl space he'd ever been in, and he's visited more than a few. (By the way, he also told us that termites would never thrive in such and environment as they need moisture and we didn't have any.)
A few things to take note of as we had these questions running through our minds prior to installation: 1) At full speed the system only draws as much air as two bathroom fans - 180 cfm - so you may dispel any thoughts of your walls getting sucked inward and the house imploding. 2) At full speed the total system uses just 76 Watts of electricity - similar to one incandescent light bulb. 3) Even though the system's booster unit is pulling conditioned air down from the living area to the crawl space our utility costs did not increase because the dry air in the house can be heated and cooled much more efficiently (per my science lesson). 4) As mentioned our crawl space is 1800 sq. ft. Our house is rather large at 3 stories tall and 5300 heated sq. ft. This one system easily handles the entire structure. 5) The booster fan pulling the replenishment air from the living area to the crawl space is accomplishing this through a register that we installed in our dining room. The fan is nearly silent, barely noticeable - you have to listen attentively in a quiet house to hear it.
So, here we are - owners of what once was a chronically ill, moisture-laden house that is now dry, odor-free and healthy thanks to this fabulous system. It was only through happenstance that we even found this product as they do not have representation anywhere remotely close to our area, and that's what got our wheels spinning, not only with respect to a complete career change for a potentially great business opportunity - which perhaps it may turn out to be - but also very much about paying it forward by filling a real need for our neighbors here at the SC coast who deserve a healthy home environment.
And that leads us to our mission at Coastal Dry Home: To offer affordable, healthy, utility-friendly indoor air quality solutions for fellow residents of our beautiful region of South Carolina - one neighbor at a time.
We welcome you to our site and invite you to explore the information provided as you research available options and determine the best solution for your moisture-related issues. We welcome your questions as you ponder this very important decision - one that directly impacts the physical health of your family and the structural health of your home - and you'll find our contact information throughout this website. We even welcome you to our Pawleys Island home if you'd like to view the system in action in all its simplicity and efficiency, or even if you wish to take a crawl in the space under our house (we assure you it's not glamorous, but it is dry!).
Thank you for visiting and for your interest in Coastal Dry Home's Solution for solving your home's moisture problems!
Within a few days of firing up the system with an initial humidity setting of 50% the results were astonishing! Gone was the persistent musty odor in both the house and the crawl space. No trace of the previously relentless mildew issues. The air in the house felt dry and our Heat Pumps were no longer running incessantly. But what finally sealed the deal was when our pest control guy came for the annual termite inspection a couple of weeks after installation and unsolicitedly remarked that ours was the driest crawl space he'd ever been in, and he's visited more than a few. (By the way, he also told us that termites would never thrive in such and environment as they need moisture and we didn't have any.)
A few things to take note of as we had these questions running through our minds prior to installation: 1) At full speed the system only draws as much air as two bathroom fans - 180 cfm - so you may dispel any thoughts of your walls getting sucked inward and the house imploding. 2) At full speed the total system uses just 76 Watts of electricity - similar to one incandescent light bulb. 3) Even though the system's booster unit is pulling conditioned air down from the living area to the crawl space our utility costs did not increase because the dry air in the house can be heated and cooled much more efficiently (per my science lesson). 4) As mentioned our crawl space is 1800 sq. ft. Our house is rather large at 3 stories tall and 5300 heated sq. ft. This one system easily handles the entire structure. 5) The booster fan pulling the replenishment air from the living area to the crawl space is accomplishing this through a register that we installed in our dining room. The fan is nearly silent, barely noticeable - you have to listen attentively in a quiet house to hear it.
So, here we are - owners of what once was a chronically ill, moisture-laden house that is now dry, odor-free and healthy thanks to this fabulous system. It was only through happenstance that we even found this product as they do not have representation anywhere remotely close to our area, and that's what got our wheels spinning, not only with respect to a complete career change for a potentially great business opportunity - which perhaps it may turn out to be - but also very much about paying it forward by filling a real need for our neighbors here at the SC coast who deserve a healthy home environment.
And that leads us to our mission at Coastal Dry Home: To offer affordable, healthy, utility-friendly indoor air quality solutions for fellow residents of our beautiful region of South Carolina - one neighbor at a time.
We welcome you to our site and invite you to explore the information provided as you research available options and determine the best solution for your moisture-related issues. We welcome your questions as you ponder this very important decision - one that directly impacts the physical health of your family and the structural health of your home - and you'll find our contact information throughout this website. We even welcome you to our Pawleys Island home if you'd like to view the system in action in all its simplicity and efficiency, or even if you wish to take a crawl in the space under our house (we assure you it's not glamorous, but it is dry!).
Thank you for visiting and for your interest in Coastal Dry Home's Solution for solving your home's moisture problems!
