If your home has a crawl space, it’s important to keep its humidity level low to avoid mold, mildew, and the deterioration of your floor joists. There are two good ways to ensure your crawl space stays vented:
- Using a combination of crawl space encapsulation and a dehumidifier
- Relying on crawl space vents to let outside airflow lower the moisture level
Vents are more common, less expensive, and easier to maintain — but they’re not without their drawbacks. Crawl space vents can break down over time, allowing in nuisance wildlife that can cause expensive damage to your plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems.
At HY-C, we manufacture a crawl space venting solution called Foundation Vent Screens under our HY-GUARD EXCLUSION brand. These aftermarket covers are engineered to keep critters out while allowing the necessary ventilation your crawl space needs.
But what sizes do these covers come in? What are they made out of? How are they installed? And do they keep out insects, too?
In this guide, we’re going to outline everything you need to know about the HY-GUARD EXCLUSION line of foundation vent covers. By the time you’re finished here, you’ll have all the information you need to decide whether or not they’re right for your home.
Table of contents (click to jump to a section):
Discover HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Screens
What Are Foundation Vent Covers?
Before we get started, we should clarify some terminology. There is a difference between foundation vents and foundation vent covers.
Foundation vents are just that: vents. They’re the (partly) open spot in the foundation of a home that allows air in and out. Often, these vents are made of wood, aluminum, plastic, or other relatively low-grade materials that are susceptible to wear and tear and tampering by nuisance wildlife.
Foundation vent covers, on the other hand, are mesh screens that are installed over foundation vents. These covers are sized to fit common foundation vent dimensions and are made of strong materials that withstand both wildlife and corrosive weather conditions over a long period.
HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Cover Sizes
Our foundation vent covers come in two sizes:
- 10-½” x 18-½”
- 12-½” x 19-½”
Both of these sizes will cover 90% to 95% of crawl space vents or foundation vents you’re likely to come across. They were developed by taking common foundation vent dimensions into consideration in order to cover as many homeowners as possible.
HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Cover Materials
When it comes to structural longevity and the ability to keep out critters from squirrels and raccoons to possums and rats, the magic of HY-GUARD EXCLUSION foundation vent covers is in the materials.
These covers are made from galvanized steel — a strong, tamper-proof metal that resists the claws and teeth of countless critters. Their frames measure one inch on all sides and are laser-cut to ensure a precise fit.
The 18-gauge ¼” mesh is also made from galvanized steel. It’s folded into the laser-cut hem, and it’s big enough to allow plenty of airflow while remaining small enough to keep out wildlife of any size.
Finally, each screen comes with a powder coat to provide an additional layer of corrosion-resistance. Available paint colors include black, gray, and white.
InsectArmor
While the Foundation Vent Screens do an excellent job excluding wildlife, the standard ¼” mesh is still large enough to let a variety of insects through. However, the screens are available with InsectArmor — an additional 1.6 mm steel mesh folded into the hem of each screen.
This square-shaped mesh is small enough to keep out bees, wasps, stink bugs, cicadas, moths, and more insects that would otherwise get past the standard mesh. It’ll keep out the same animals as the standard screens while also preventing wasp nests and bee hives in your crawl space.
Both the 10-½” x 18-½” and 12-½” x 19-½” Foundation Vent Screens are available with InsectArmor. InsectArmor covers are also made with black, gray, and white powder coats.
Discover HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Screens with InsectArmor
HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Cover Cost
We’ve covered what they are, what they do, and what they’re made of. But how much do these covers cost?
There are two factors that affect the price of a HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Screen:
- The size of the cover
- Whether or not the cover has InsectArmor
Color has no effect on the price of the screens; a black 10-½” x 18-½” cover costs the same as a white 10-½” x 18-½” cover. With that in mind, here’s a look at the cost of each HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Screen:
|
Model Number |
Screen Size |
MSRP |
InsectArmor? |
|
VG1018G |
10-½” x 18-½” |
$38.09 |
No |
|
VG1219G |
12-½” x 19-½” |
$46.09 |
No |
|
IAVG1018G |
10-½” x 18-½” |
$47.69 |
Yes |
|
IAVG1219G |
12-½” x 19-½” |
$57.59 |
Yes |
Keep in mind that the prices listed here are manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRPs). If you’re a wildlife control operator or a distributor, your price will vary.
HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Cover Installation
As long as you have the right cover size, installing a HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Screen is easy.
Each screen comes with eight pre-drilled ¼” holes cut into the frame. You can use as many of the holes as you need to ensure a secure fit over your vent on brick, siding, stucco, concrete, or any other material.
If you use a screen with InsectArmor, installation becomes even easier. These covers come with a peel-and-stick adhesive foam around the perimeter. This foam not only lets you pre-mount the screen before driving in fasteners, but it also contours to uneven materials to seal out bugs around the edges.
Should You Get HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Covers?
This has been a close look at the HY-GUARD EXCLUSION collection of foundation vent covers. And if you’re wondering whether or not you should get some for yourself, take the following tips into consideration:
- Pay close attention to the condition of your vents
- Pay close attention to cost
If you have foundation vents on your home, go take a look at them. If they’re new and in pretty good shape, you may be okay — at least for a while. Just realize that most stock foundation vents are susceptible to nuisance wildlife at all times and that you can add some covers to be safe.
If your vents are loose, cracked, or even chewed-through or missing altogether, it’s a good idea to add foundation vent covers. They’ll shore up the structure of your crawl space vents and potentially save you from expensive wildlife problems later on.
The covers themselves cost money, and it’s also a good idea to have them installed by a professional wildlife control operator. You can’t put a price on peace of mind, though. And that’s exactly what these screens provide.
If you’re wondering whether or not you should spend a little more on screens with InsectArmor, be sure to look at our InsectArmor guide below. It takes a close look at what it is, how it works, and who should use it on their home.
