Living on Kiawah Island has its pests.....yes, real pest that are unavoidable. We have our famous "Palmetto Bugs" and those lovely "Swamp Rats" both can get large enough to haul a small child away. The lower floor of most homes is part garage and part open space. Usually it is not air conditioned and is the gateway for mold, rats and palmetto bugs into your home. YUCK! Smart Vents are sometimes used to reduce the rats, palmetto bugs and mold from getting into your home.
"The reason for the smart vents is to decrease the cost of flood insurance. My space is nicely dehumidified right now and relatively bug free thanks to our exterminator. My question is whether the smart vent will create a problem."
" I keep all my houses conditioned with a dehumidifier.You are required to have a certain amount of openings per the size of the under size of your area.I always cover them with hardware cloth and then close them with Styrofoam on the conditioned side and paint to match.If it were to flood,the water will push them open..Rats are a problem and you do not want them to have access to your house..There are a number of people on the island who have had considerable infestations"
"I have used them in a garage at Kiawah and did not have a problem..Never used them in a conditioned space."
Here is a video explaining Smart Vents.
"The reason for the smart vents is to decrease the cost of flood insurance. My space is nicely dehumidified right now and relatively bug free thanks to our exterminator. My question is whether the smart vent will create a problem."
" I keep all my houses conditioned with a dehumidifier.You are required to have a certain amount of openings per the size of the under size of your area.I always cover them with hardware cloth and then close them with Styrofoam on the conditioned side and paint to match.If it were to flood,the water will push them open..Rats are a problem and you do not want them to have access to your house..There are a number of people on the island who have had considerable infestations"
"I have used them in a garage at Kiawah and did not have a problem..Never used them in a conditioned space."
Here is a video explaining Smart Vents.
Our product line of ICC-ES certified flood vents includes a insulated series of vents that come equipped with a 2" styrofoam core and a weather gasket. These insulated vents are designed to be used in area where flood protection is needed and air ventilation is not desired, they are perfect for a conditioned space and our insulated flood vents are used every day in sealed crawlspaces. As you will see from the video our vents do not operate like a doggy door so they are rodent proof. The vents are activated only when flood water is present. To learn more about out insulated vents and additional models check out this link http://www.smartvent.com/products/insulatedfloodvents
ReplyDeleteHere at Smart Vent our entire technical staff are Certified Floodplain Managers and we study and educate professionals on the flood vent code requirements, the method you are using to meet the flood venting requirements is the non-engineered method. The codes call for these openings to permanently open at all times, be very careful with stuffing insulation into the holes because this does not comply to the non-engineered codes, you could have a engineer sign off on this design for each home you use this method on and this would then classify your opening as a engineered opening, however this would be very expensive. The beauty of our line of flood vents is that they are nationally certified through the International Code Council and FEMA so we meet all the flood vent regulations. In addition our vents guarantee that you receive the lowest possible flood insurance premium. if you are paying over $800 a year for flood insurance give us a call at 877-441-8368 and we will review your property for free to see if we can save you money. The ROI for installing vents is typically seen in 1.5 years and you will save on average 83% off of your premium, not to shabby.
Tom Little, CFM, CGP
Vice President
Smart Vent Products Inc