How would you fill this crawlspace vent?

[JackOfDiamonds]

I live in a desert climate and never open up my crawlspace vents. This particular vent seems problematic because the house doesn't have gutters here and the concrete isn't very sloped so when it does rain I think water runs in. To top it off I used this vent to run wiring for my AC unit, and it needs to be sealed to keep critters out.

I don't think I need this particular vent anymore and I think I can fill it with concrete. I don't know anything about concrete though and I don't want to spend money on tools just for this. can I buy quikcrete and mix it in a bucket and just plop it in there?

 

[LiketoFix]

In our climate where we live we don't put the vents below grade as yours is as we don't want water running in and the way yours is you've got poor air flow to beat being below grade. If you cant raise it I would look at building a type of snorkel and get the air flow above ground and block all openings so varmints can't get in and fill in the concrete slab area around the snorkel with concrete material and screen in the vented so called snorkel so small pests stay out. IMO! Different strokes and ideas as that's just one of mine.
LtF

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

There's plenty of other vents so my assumption was I could delete this one without a problem. Also, the vents have flaps on them which are all closed, and the people I have asked all said to leave them closed year-round, so what's the point?

What IS the point of these things?

I've seen other vents like this where they put in a galvanized well or tub which would have a rim to keep water out. I think that's the way this one should have been done but given I don't want to jackhammer a bunch of concrete out, I can't redo it. I guess I could build a little well in the existing hole but I don't know what I would use. Sheet metal would be too sharp and wood would just rot.

 

[LiketoFix]

So if you have plenty of ventilation and you don't need this vent for cross ventilation and you want to block up the hole then go ahead and do so with the same material that's on the foundation wall now that's existing and I'm not sure what that conduit is for but you can work around that and then just concrete the small area in and keep water from going in that area causing potential problems down the road. Vents are supposed to be adjusted as needed seasonally! 10 People 10 diff. opinions. In todays busy lifestyle nobody has time to adjust vents! We would never add a window well,(galvanized half round unless we really had too! Sounds like you have good options!
LtF

 

[Blk88GT]

I'd pour it.

 

[kbs2244]

^^^^^what he said^^^^^

 

[Zeke]

That's a little toughie. If you fill in level with sackcrete you still have that 4" of vertical opening. Going around the conduit is the tough part and you can't fill above grade with concrete very easily. As it is, you will need a form in back. If you want to fill it you can just get some bricks.

What I would do is attach cleats to the L and R sides and place heavy duty wire mesh over it with a bend that goes up to the underside of the sill. Do your best to cut around the conduit. A mouse can get through a hole the size of a quarter easily, so it has to be tight. No critter I know of can eat steel.

Or a little bit of both, fill level and put mesh in the vertical part. Looks like you have wood to staple to. BTW, that wood should not be buried in concrete. One final thought with regard to that. You could make a metal concrete form to sit in front of the wood and pour to that. Wood, concrete separated by metal is better than nothing. Better than that is to put a vapor barrier on the wood first. Even tarpaper.

None of my ideas will stop water intrusion. That's why I called it a toughie. You need a curb or the mesh replaced with a solid piece and caulked. Up slope the concrete a bit.

 

[Hank11]

Remove the bottom siding board and this gets a lot easier. Cover over the inside and make a form on the outside tall enough to seal it completely. Cut siding board to fit over and around the new chunk of concrete.

Alternately remove the siding board and insert a stainless steel sheet metal flashing that extends up the wall. Caulk very well and carefully between the sheet metal and the concrete sidewalk and the concrete foundation. Screw on with 2 tapcons or similar wher they will be hidden under the siding. You can cut a half circle in the flashing around the conduit and then add another piece from the top that fits the conduit closely. Caulk that too. Then put siding back on. You can use galvanized but the SS will look nice forever.

 

[Joemctag]

Remove the bottom siding board and this gets a lot easier. Cover over the inside and make a form on the outside tall enough to seal it completely. Cut siding board to fit over and around the new chunk of concrete.

Alternately remove the siding board and insert a stainless steel sheet metal flashing that extends up the wall. Caulk very well and carefully between the sheet metal and the concrete sidewalk and the concrete foundation. Screw on with 2 tapcons or similar wher they will be hidden under the siding. You can cut a half circle in the flashing around the conduit and then add another piece from the top that fits the conduit closely. Caulk that too. Then put siding back on. You can use galvanized but the SS will look nice forever.

I’d do the bent s.s. sheet notched around the conduit. Maybe can do adequately without removing siding board if that’d be too hard. Use caulk like Quad if you want it to last. Silicone won’t.

 

[mikedodge]

I'd pour it.

Same here. Then cover the the hole in the wall above it with a board and flashing or whatever and seal around the cabling. Pretty straight forward.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Anyone know where to buy SS sheet? I can't find it at the big-box stores.

 

[Hank11]

Is there a sheet metal shop nearby? They might have some and can bend it for you. If you make a cardboard template they would probably cut it and bend it for you. Making a template is a good idea whether they do it or you do it.

A tube of something like Tremco Vulkem 116 or Dymonic 100 and you are in business.

 

[Whitworth]

That is weird.

I'd just fill with concrete mix. Wrap the conduit in plastic wrap to isolate it from the concrete.

The venting crawlspace argument comes and goes, and I think the most recent consensus was that they are un-necessary and even destructive to a house when used improperly.
But they used to be required per code.
Probably all the ones on my house are stuck or broken.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

I filled the back with galvanized sheet because that's what I had, and filled it slightly overfull with quickcrete red fast-set. Should be better than before at least. It was bare dirt it the bottom...

 

[Ak Jim]

If you are going to seal up the vents in a crawl space make sure you put down a 6 or 10 mil vapor barrier on the floor.