I’m down here in Texas and I saw smart vent insulated flood vents today on the crawlspace skirt along the left side and front side of a home. The left side and back side of the crawlspace were covered with a lattice. So there was no cross ventilation provided. I found this description, “These vents are ideal for garages or conditioned spaces where flood vents are required, but air ventilation is not desired. The vent door is latched closed until it comes in contact with flood water. Entering flood water lifts the patented internal floats which unlatch and allow the door to rotate open. This allows the flood water to automatically enter and exit through the frame opening, relieving the pressure from the foundation walls.” Has anyone seen these before? I’m writing it up for not providing proper cross ventilation in the crawlspace.
That’s a bit wordy.
How about, “Crawlspace was not adequately ventilated. Recommend correction by a qualified contractor”
He quoted the manufacturer’s description.
Smartvent also makes vents that are designed for ventilation. They are designed similar to the one pictured except vented like a regular vent. The difference is they both pivot to allow entrance and exit of flood waters. I have both styles on my house. I built my house in 2006. The solid ones in the garage and the vented ones in the crawl. I live on a barrier island and in a flood zone. The nice thing about these vents is you need less vents to comply with flood regulations. The gentleman who invented the vents lives close by and I was around to see the vents from concept to finish product but unfortunately he didn’t have the money to start production past the prototypes and sold his patents.