Save money by going green by investing in crawl space encapsulation, or sealing your building’s crawl space.
“…anything that’s residing in the building’s crawl space is also pulled up into living areas: mold, humidity, rodent droppings, etc…”
The air in the crawl space is circulated through the building. As you know, hot air rises, and as it rises it pulls the cool air up into the living areas of your building. This is also known as the stack effect. So, anything that’s residing in the building’s crawl space is also pulled up into living areas.
If you’re venting the crawl space then it’s creating humidity. That humidity is being pulled up into the main areas of the building – thanks again to the stack effect. And if you look back at your energy bills during the hot and humid months, you’ll see it can cost you substantially more to neutralize the humidity in the air.
Save money by going green by investing in crawl space encapsulation, or sealing your building’s crawl space. Crawl space encapsulation involves completely sealing the crawl space from the dirt floor and outside air.
A thick vapor barrier will be installed over the floor and up the walls, to prevent moisture and air from entering the crawl space. And the vents will be sealed so you don’t have to worry about humid air entering the crawl space and increasing cooling costs.
Aside from saving money, there are other benefits to crawl space encapsulation that your tenant will find appealing:
A sealed crawl space prevents humidity from entering the building through your crawl space. As a result, you’ll have a lower energy bill, and it reduces your carbon footprint.
When you eliminate one of the primary sources for mold, humidity, you’re improving the occupant’s health (mold is a leading allergen) and saving yourself money on mold remediation.
Cheap vapor barriers in your crawl space don’t work. When you’re ready to encapsulate your crawl space, do it right the first time. Not only will you save more money in the long run, but you’ll also reduce waste from having to redo the barrier every year. Those thin, cheap vapor barriers available at most home improvement stores tear easily and end up costing you more and create more waste.
We use a 20-mil thick barrier, called CrawlSeal™, to separate the crawl space from the dirt floor. This prevents ground moisture from contributing to the humidity problem.
Groundworks Editorial Team
