How do SMART VENTS provide so much coverage?

What is the International Code Council (ICC)?

Is my property in a flood zone?

Are the vents more expensive than other flood solutions & do you know of any other company that makes a similar product?

How do the models differ? Do they come in custom sizes? What sizes do you have?

Do they come in different colors?

Can I install the vent in an entry door?

My grade changes (slopes/dips), or my house is built on a hill. How do I place my vents?

The floor of my basement/crawlspace is lower than the adjacent ground level; what do I do?

How do the vents attach?

Can animals open the vents?

Do the vents have insect screening?

Do the vents open only during a flood?

Do the vents keep the cold air out?

Do you offer quantity discounts? What about discounts for stores? Contractors?

What can I do to finish the inside of the opening?

Does the vent require any electricity?

How do SMART VENTS provide so much coverage?

You may have heard that FEMA requires a vent with “1 square inch of opening per 1 square foot of enclosed area”, referring to vent dimensions in proportion to the space to be vented. This is only partially correct. FEMA guidelines (as outlined in Technical Bulletin 1-08) do state that a non-engineered flood vent solution must (among other requirements) provide 1 sq. in. of opening per 1 sq. ft. of space vented. This is only in reference to non-engineered openings, however; all of our flood vent products are certified engineered openings. In accordance with the further guidelines of TB 1-08, our vents have been tested, rated, and certified for their coverage of 200 square feet per unit by the International Code Council.

What is the International Code Council (ICC)?

The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council. Out of all product evaluation services available, 80% of Code Officials prefer ICC Evaluated Products.

Click here to see our ICC Evaluation Service Report. This evaluation report states that one 16" x 8" SMART VENT unit is certified to provide 200 sq. ft. of flood protection and should be attached to the elevation certificate.

Is my property in a flood zone?

Zoning can be determined by viewing FEMA’s Federal Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or Digital Federal Insurance Rate Map. You may view the maps by going online or you may contact us at info@smartvent.com or by phone for assistance. Visit FreeFlood.com to instantly see your home’s current flood risk level.

Are the vents more expensive than other flood solutions & do you know of any other company that makes a similar product?

Our vents are made from stainless steel, and are manufactured and assembled entirely in the United States. Additionally (and perhaps more importantly), each of our vents is an engineered flood opening certified for 200 square feet of flood protection. It is physically impossible for a non-engineered opening of comparable dimensions to provide as much coverage within FEMA guidelines; most air vents, in fact, provide less than 20% of that (overlooking that they do not fulfill other requirements of the flood code). Where a house may require 30-35 air vents to provide enough flood protection, about 8 of our vents would provide more than necessary. Our vents are cost-competitive with anything else we have seen on the market.

Do you know of any other company that makes a similar product? No. There are certainly other companies that make foundation vents, and some that claim that their vents are usable as foundation flood vents, but our vents are (the last time we checked) the only FEMA Accepted & ICC-ES evaluated engineered opening for flood venting. In fact, many of the vents that claim to be foundation flood vents do not comply with flood ventilation codes and FEMA guidelines, let alone having a certification.

How do the models differ? Do they come in custom sizes? What sizes do you have?

We have two primary models: The dual function model (SMART VENT) provides 51 square inches of air ventilation opening in addition to 200 square feet of certified flood ventilation coverage. These vents would be almost exclusively used in unconditioned crawlspaces, where air ventilation is required in addition to any flood ventilation. The insulated flood-only model (FLOOD VENT) is appropriate for most other applications. It provides only flood protection for garages, living spaces, basements (though rare in floodplains), conditioned crawlspaces, etc.

Our vents are the size of a standard concrete masonry unit (CMU), 16” wide x 8” tall. They can be stacked as many high* (although two is typical) and arrayed as many side-by-side as needed. For large industrial and municipal projects, we have been able to fabricate custom mountings to contain various arrangements of vents in a single steel frame. We also make a Wood Wall FLOOD VENT that is designed to fit between wood studs spaced on 16” centers that measures 14 ½ “ wide x 8 ½“ tall.

Do they come in different colors?

Yes. We have four standard colors, and can (for an additional fee, plus an approximately three week lead time) match almost any color needed for your application. We use enamel powder coatings designed for use in harsh environments. Our standard colors are: black, gray, wheat and white. Your SMART VENT, Inc. regional sales representative should have sample paint chips and prices available for each standard color. White vents are available direct from our stock with no delay.

Can I install the vent in an entry door?

Yes. For overhead (garage) doors, we have developed a specific product that installs easily and contains a mechanism to prevent the vent from opening when the door is lifted overhead. For standard personnel doors, we recommend using the standard foundation/wood wall vents. Simply drill four holes into the flange, and drive screws through these holes, into the door. Please be careful only to drill the exterior flange, or you risk voiding the warranty.

My grade changes (slopes/dips), or my house is built on a hill. How do I place my vents?

Regardless of changes in grade, vents must be placed on a minimum of two different walls, with each vent no more than twelve inches (or less, depending on local code) of adjacent grade or inside slab. The adjacent grade for each vent is the grade (essentially, ground) level closest to that specific vent. Vents should, if possible, be arranged so that more are placed near the lowest possible grade, to allow easiest drainage when a flood recedes.

The floor of my basement/crawlspace is lower than the adjacent ground level; what do I do?

What you do is pay extremely high flood insurance premiums. According to FEMA guidelines in Technical Bulletin 1-08, if all four sides of the structure are below grade by even one inch, the structure has a basement. In a flood zone, having a basement almost guarantees very high flood insurance rates. To lower your premium, you need to equalize the interior and exterior grade on at least one side of the house. The easiest way to do this is to either add fill to the inside of the basement until at least one wall is at or above exterior grade, or to dig-out the ground outside until it is at or below the interior grade (floor) level. This will turn your basement into a crawlspace, which (if properly vented) should have drastically lower flood insurance rates.

How do the vents attach?

One can attach the vents using any of several methods. The vents were designed to install with four stainless steel straps, included in each package. These straps bend around the back of a wall, and fasten into the vent frame. The exterior flange holds the vent against the front of the wall. If an even more secure hold is desired, a concrete adhesive (Lexel, Liquid Nails, etc.) can be applied to the inside surface of the flange. Be careful to avoid getting any of this adhesive onto any part of the frame but the back surface of this flange; you do not want to accidentally prevent the vent door from opening in case of flood.

Can animals open the vents?

A bear might be able, but not most creatures small enough to fit into the vent opening. With the floats at rest within the frame, a minimum of ten to fifteen pounds of pressure are required to open the vent door. When they first arrive, the vents might seem looser or easier to open; there is a small amount of oil that naturally gets on the floats during the manufacturing process. Simply wipe both the floats and their grooves within the frame with a rag wet with isopropyl alcohol. This should remove the oil responsible for any perceived looseness.

Do the vents have insect screening?

On the flood-only and overhead door models, the only space through which insects could theoretically pass is the extremely narrow space between the vent door and frame. In these models, this space is lined with a thick weather-stripping, which should prevent any insects from entering. The air-ventilated SMART VENT model, meanwhile, has a set of internal louvers behind a rodent screen. The purpose of a rodent screen is to protect the opening from vermin without preventing the natural flow of air; as such, openings in the screen must fit a very narrow set of dimensions (between 1/4 and 3/8 inch). Our SMART VENT screen has 1/4 openings, the smallest allowed by code while maintaining airflow necessary to prevent undue mold, mildew, and other threats to the wellbeing of the residents of a building.

Do the vents open only during a flood?

For the most part, yes. The dual function SMART VENT model also opens for air ventilation, but the door itself remains closed; louvers inside the door rotate open in response to temperature changes. The insulated FLOOD VENT model is designed to open only in response to rising flood waters. The vents can be opened manually by inserting a credit card into the upper portion of each of the two slots on the front of the door, if you so desire.

Do the vents keep the cold air out?

The insulated flood-only model (FLOOD VENT) has a styrofoam core (two inches thick, equivalent to a 8.34 R factor), and weather-stripping between the door and the frame. The air-ventilated model (SMART VENT) contains louvers that rotate open in warm weather, and close as the weather cools. The SMART VENT lacks any weather-stripping. However, we have never had a vent returned for reasons of poor insulative quality. If you are in an area such as Alaska or parts of New England where winter temperatures are especially low, you may want to use the insulated FLOOD VENT model, even if it is an unconditioned crawlspace (an approved vapor barrier is optimal for this solution).

Do you offer quantity discounts? What about discounts for stores? Contractors?

For pricing and discount information, as well as a list of dealers in your region, please contact our offices at 877-441-8368. You can also try our “Where To Buy” link on our homepage to locate a dealer closest to you.

What can I do to finish the inside of the opening?

There are a variety of options for trimming the interior of the opening. We offer a stainless steel trim flange & inner sleeve kit to line the hole that you as the customer can paint without voiding the warranty. (Please do not attempt to paint the vent units themselves; this can void the warranty.) This option is adaptable to fit any wall depth from three to fifteen inches. Additionally, any variety of trim designs could be fabricated by a homeowner or contractor for the interior: for instance, a wood frame similar to those used for framing windows.

Does the vent require any electricity?

No. The air-ventilation louvers on the dual function SMART VENT operate by means of a bimetallic coil, and the flood mechanism on all models works via rising flood water.