In the dead of winter, many steps must be taken to guarantee your home is at its best during the harshest months. A careful study of the home’s heating system ensures that you won’t freeze when the chill descends, and a running tap eliminates the risk of pipes breaking when the temperatures dip before freezing.
One way to prepare for the winter is to look at the insulation in your home. This can be on the walls or around the windows. Proper insulation holds the heat in the house where it belongs, keeping the heating costs down.
One of the areas most worth paying attention to is the foundation. Knowing how to cover foundation vents for winter will save a lot of money in the end. But how do you know which vents should be open in winter, if any? Here’s what you need to know about finding the best foundation vent covers for winter.
Foundation Vents
Foundation vents are rectangular spaces that adorn the foundation of a home. These vents allow air to circulate beneath a home. This comes in handy during the fall and spring when the air is temperate, and conditions are favorable with mild, dry weather. They keep it from getting too stale in the areas, providing adequate spaces for home elements like pipes, the HVAC system, and a fuse box.
The problem emerges in more extreme parts of the year. In the summer and winter, it becomes necessary to cover these vents for several reasons ranging from not only the vital necessity of insulation but a wide array of other benefits to ensure your home handles the brutal months.
Which Vents to Cover?
It can be hard to know which vents should be open in the winter and which should be closed. The easy answer is that all of the vents require sturdy foundation vent covers for winter. While it can be tempting to save money and cut corners here, the vents must be protected to prevent many issues. Here are just a few reasons to invest in winter vent covers.
Insulation
The simplest reason to look at winter vent covers is to ensure your home stays properly insulated in the winter. Quality vent covers made from weatherproof material hold the heat in and help to seal the vents shut. With the foundation secured, a key area where heat escapes is stopped, and the home stays warm throughout the coldest parts of the year, keeping heating bills down. The relatively low cost of winter vent covers is made up for in the savings on the cost of heating.
Animal Infestation
One of the most frustrating problems a homeowner faces is an infestation of animals. Foundation crawl spaces are a key hub for animal activity in the extreme cold when such animals set up nests to stay warm. Nobody likes an influx of rodents, which tear up wiring beneath the home and eventually move into the house in search of food. Fortunately, foundation vent covers provide a straightforward solution to the problem as they’re built to keep animals out.
Mildew and Mold
The winter months provide a prime opportunity for mold to grow beneath a house. While the cold serves as somewhat of an inhibitor compared to the summer months when fungal infestations bloom, the combination of humidity and relative warmth still allows for growth. Vent covers provide both a tight seal and a barrier against moisture. This is a must in climates with heavy snow, which can go higher than the vents.
Protection of Pipes
We all know the importance of flowing water in the pipes to prevent them from freezing and bursting. But there’s another way to protect the plumbing in your home in the winter. With vent covers, the cold air from outside doesn’t get a chance to get in. The warmth held beneath the house is just an extra deterrent to freezing.
Curb Appeal
While it may not seem important, the look of your home matters greatly. “Curb appeal,” or how a house looks from the road, is a key factor in purchasing a home. The smallest details count and attractive foundation vent covers for winter help a home look its best all year round. With solid curb appeal, a home’s resale value increases dramatically.
Why You Need a Decorative Vent Cover
It’s important to stress that most vent covers are relatively low-grade. Made from toxic styrofoam, these blocks only generally last a few years and have several disadvantages. For one, they’re poor sources of protection from the many issues plaguing a foundation space. For another reason, they discolor easily and get incredibly dirty. They can match your home’s color scheme, blending in neatly to provide maximum curb appeal.
These vent covers are friendly for the environment, too. Unlike the eco-unsuitability styrofoam found in standard covers, these items are made from recycled materials and can easily be recycled at the end of their use. With a more eco-friendly manufacturing process, these covers are a safe alternative to the norm.
Wondering how to cover foundation vents for winter? They’re effortless to install. These vents are designed to fit standard-size vents but can be custom ordered. Covering foundation vents for winter is a snap with these vent covers. Just plug the covers into the hole, and the installation is done. In three seconds, you have a quality cover for any home.
Vanity Vents aims to produce a high-quality product for any home. The foundation of a home is easy to neglect, but a premium vent cover is a simple, inexpensive way to provide extra value to your home. Give us a look today, for frequently asked questions you can read here.
