Crawl Space Insulation – An Ignored yet Important Aspect of House Maintenance

2. Usually while buying homes we take various things into account from the flooring to the ceiling but what we mostly ignore is the crawl space. And some of us don’t even know what exactly it is and where it exists! So what’s a crawl space and why its proper insulation is mandatory. We will cover everything in this article. What is a Crawl Space? A crawl space is a hollow area that is found underneath homes between the first floor and the ground. As the space is hardly 2 to 3 feet high, it is enough for someone to enter it crawling hence the name crawl space. Advantages of a Crawl Space: A crawl space contains the guts of the house i.e. plumbing, electrical wiring, heating and air conditioning systems hence whenever there is any issue like pipe leakage or electrical circuitry problems arise we can easily access the problems. Whereas if we do not have a crawl space we will need to perform excavations. Crawl spaces are cheaper than basements. Crawl spaces are suitable for areas with high moisture and also for the coastal areas with sandy soil. Damp locations are more prone to termites. Maintenance of crawl space is easier as compared to basements.

3. Now as we know what a crawl space is and came across the various benefits of it we should now know why better insulation is necessary for crawl spaces. Crawl space insulation is a vital part of the overall air sealing and insulation and it helps in maintaining energy efficiency of the entire house. Without proper insulation the heat and cool air get lost easily through the floor. Also a crawl space which is not insulated properly deteriorates the value of the floors as well as the durability is reduced. Another problem with improper insulation of crawl spaces is pest infestation which affects the health of the people residing in the house. Insulation is also beneficial for preserving the air quality as well as energy cost reductions. Next question that arises here is how to know if the crawl space is properly insulated or not? Then the answer is if during winters the floor above your crawl space gets extremely cold, generates unpleasant odor particularly of the molds and if there is infestation of pests including mice is observed then it confirms that the crawl space insulation is not properly installed or it has damaged.

4. Again, crawl spaces are of two varieties i.e. ventilated crawl space and unventilated crawl space. Although the goal of insulating both is the same i.e. enclosing the space in a thermal envelope but still both require their own form of insulations. Ventilated Crawl Space Insulation: A ventilated crawl space is ideal as it aids elimination of moisture keep the space dry. In such type of crawl space installing fiberglass insulation under the subfloor between the floor joists becomes easier. And to keep the insulation safe and in order to prevent it from moisture and mold covering it with a vapor barrier is recommended by professionals. Unventilated Crawl Space Insulation: When the crawl space is not ventilated insulating the crawl space walls is preferred over insulating the subfloor of the room above. Hence, it requires less insulation and eliminates the need of insulating ducts and pipes separately. A polyurethane vapor barrier can also be installed over the dirt floor for further protection. Although crawl space insulations can be installed by homeowners but for proper and durable insulation installation hiring a professional is the best choice.

5. Conclusion Author Information: YIS Insulation provides the best and highly specialized crawl space insulation in Charlotte for both residential as well as commercial settings. For proper and professional crawl space insulation get in touch with them at https://www.yisinsulationcompany.com/crawl-space.php