Photo: Dale Heins

Do you need a vent in a cold storage?

Proper ventilation is crucial to preventing condensation in cold storage rooms. Otherwise, you could find yourself face-to-face with a serious mold and indoor air quality (IAQ) issue. For many it's obvious why a cold storage room should be well maintained.

bustmold.com - Cold Room Ventilation Services in Ottawa & Montreal - Mold Busters

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Cold room ventilation is something that few people know much about and even fewer people do properly. In fact, most people in Montreal and Ottawa tend to completely ignore their cold storage rooms simply because they’re not a frequently used or essential part of a house. However, cold rooms, like any other room in your home, require regular maintenance and upkeep. Part of that maintenance is ensuring proper cold room ventilation. Proper ventilation is crucial to preventing condensation in cold storage rooms. Otherwise, you could find yourself face-to-face with a serious mold and indoor air quality (IAQ) issue. For many it’s obvious why a cold storage room should be well maintained. Often built without inadequate ventilation, this dark room can quickly become humid and a perfect incubator for mold. A problem like mold or condensation may not always be obvious, but left untreated can quickly become a very expensive problem to fix. Regular ventilation can extend the lifespan of your cold storage room almost indefinitely, and prevent you from the loss of goods inside. Imagine walking into your cold storage room one day and finding all your goods infected with mold. At Mold Busters, we’ll use our infrared cameras to inspect your cold room for defects like air leakage, moisture intrusion, missing insulation and improperly installed vapour barriers, all of which contribute to mold growth. We’ll then be able to put in place an effective solution for your specific ventilation needs. So, if you have a cold storage room and are worried about potential mold problems, contact Mold Busters today. Now servicing Ottawa, Montreal and surrounding areas.

Why are cold storage rooms problematic?

Cold rooms are typically small, unfinished rooms with concrete floors, no insulation, no heating and no drywall. As such, they are highly prone to condensation. This occurs when warm air from other rooms enters the cold storage, makes contact with a cold surface and forms water droplets on it. A lack of air flow in the cold storage room also means that this surface moisture will not dry right away, providing the perfect conditions for mold and mildew growth, especially if there are old boxes, newspapers and perishable foods lying around, feeding the mold.

The solution to cold room mold

If you want an effective solution for mold in your cold room, your main priority should be ensuring proper ventilation, as this is the key to reducing indoor humidity and moisture levels. You should also make sure to install insulation or vapour barriers that will keep warm air and moisture out of your cold room. The insulation should be completely sealed against the concrete and should extend from the underside of the cold room ceiling right down to the floor.

Cold Storage Room Ventilation Services in Canada

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To promote air flow and air circulation, we recommend having two vents in your cold room—one at the top and one at the bottom of the room—to allow any condensation to dry out before it can lead to mold. If you have any doubts about how well your cold room is keeping cold air in and warm air out, book a complete infrared scan with Mold Busters. It’s a non-contact, non-destructive way of finding air leakage, moisture, mold, poorly installed insulation and missing vapour barriers.

Common FAQ’s about cold room ventilation

Does a cold room need ventilation?

Cold rooms are prone to potential mold growth issues and one of the most common reasons is due to inadequate ventilation. Often cold rooms are built with one or two passive ventilation holes drilled through the foundation. If these vents are blocked, cutting the necessary ventilation, issues can arise from an increase in water vapor and relative humidity. It is important for cold rooms to be properly ventilated at all times, even during the winter.

How do you vent a cold room?

Ideally, a cold room should have two, 6” vents core drilled through the foundation wall to allow for proper cross ventilation. The vents should have grills on the outside to prevent animals from entering in. Venting a cold room is key to helping against mold growth.

It is important to ensure vents are not blocked.

In some cases, installing 2 vents may not be possible based on the construction or layout of the cold room. In these cases, a stand-alone ventilation unit like the EZ Breathe ventilation system are ideal choices for properly ventilating a cold storage room.

How do I stop condensation in my cold room?

Improving the overall ventilation will assist with regulating levels of relative humidity and removing excess water vapor, which can lead to condensation along with the cold room materials. Another way to stop condensation in your cold room is to ensure the door to the cold room is properly insulated and installed with adequate weather stripping. The heated indoor space of your home will collide with the chilly, cold room air, creating condensation on surface areas. Prevent these collision points by ensuring you have an exterior, insulated door installed for your cold room.

bustmold.com - Cold Room Ventilation Services in Ottawa & Montreal - Mold Busters