Advanced Energy located in Raleigh, NC had completed a study that concludes closed crawl space design is beneficial in the Southeast. Their informative web page describes their findings and includes a reference guide and a complete 75 page report. For several years the building industry has debated wall vented crawl spaces or closed spaces. Advanced Energy concludes a closed crawl space reduces moisture, mold and energy consumption in Southeastern houses.
While we don't have installation experience with this design yet, we expect to implement it in the next two years on a new house. Crawl space moisture is a huge problem in South Carolina and many lunch room debates have defended more and less ventilation. Some have said 100% vapor barrier, some have said leave a vapor barrier gap at the perimeter to let the moisture out, some have said install fans. The Advanced Energy study and design recommendations clearly show the advantages of closing the crawl space to reduce moisture.
It remains to be seen how to implement the design with traditional builders. It will be a challenge to maintain the integrity of the vapor reducer and low moisture content during construction. Typically it takes 5 weeks to dry in a custom built house. A lot of rain can happen in that time.
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