What is the Stack Effect?

If the humidity around your crawl space is allowed to spread around other parts of your home, this can cause plenty of other issues, too. Rising humidity is commonly caused by the stack effect, which can not only make your house feel warmer, but also your energy bills to climb as well. 

• How It Works 

When humidity gathers in your crawl space, this can cause enough problems on its own. Of course, with your HVAC system installed in this space, it can also spread this humidity to the rest of your home as well. Hot air tends to rise because it is far lighter than cool air. As a result, you might notice your home feels a lot muggier in the summertime. 

Conversely, in the winter, you might notice your floors being absolutely freezing to walk along. It may just be a lot colder in your house in general during the winter. Any cold air that gathers in your crawl space will easily push out any warmer air inside your home. 

• Why It is Costly 

The stack effect can make it very uncomfortable to live in your own home. In the summer, you might find that turning on any fans will only spread the humidity around faster. You might then resort to cranking up your air conditioner to extremely high levels just to stay cool in your house. 

You might also find yourself turning on your heater much higher in the wintertime for the same reasons. This is what makes the stack effect so costly. Humid air is much harder to heat and cool than arid air; dampness and humidity will increase your energy consumption and your bills. These are just some of the negative side effects you could face if you do not deal with the humidity in your crawl space.