Insulating Crawl Spaces
Houses that have a crawl space beneath them generally find the dirt flooring of it to be extremely cold and damp, especially during the winter months. The dirt absorbs any dampness and then that moisture enters the walls of the houses foundation. This in turn creates the risk of mildew and mold spores climbing those walls and entering the house. Insulating crawl spaces is the only way to prevent this from happening. Adding a layer of plastic to the dirt flooring of the crawl space area will help insulate but the walls need to be heavily insulated as well.
Insulation in the form of foam panels or boards made from Styrofoam or other plastic insulating materials such as molded expanded polystyrene (MEPS), Polyurethane or Polysocyanuate (polyiso), or extruded expanded polystyrene foam (XEPS). These are each excellent forms of insulation but the installer needs to pay attention to how the installing is done and that may mean a professional should handle the job. Similar to a basement wall insulation project, insulating the crawl space requires that each area must be completely covered in insulation material or there will be leaks and damage will occur. This includes both exterior as well as interior walls. In the case of a crawl space, attention should be given to the under house flooring, pipes, and any vents to insure they are insulated too.If needed foundation insulation should be applied to insure the entire bottom of the home is well insulated against moisture.
Of course while working beneath a house in the crawl space area, extra care must be taken to insure it is well ventilated. This may mean understanding mechanical ventilation and how it works. Any time the air is warmer on one side of a structure yet cooler on the other side, this can create condensation which is another form of moisture that must be eliminated in order to prevent mildew and mold spores from growing. Some of the better brands of foam insulation may have been treated to assist in the prevention of mold so look for them.
Insect infestation is another concern when dealing with the crawl space area. Insects do not eat foam insulation but they will find it an easy task to burrow or tunnel through and then find easy access to the interior of the home.
The primary concern for insulating the entire house is temperature control and moisture prevention. If there are leaks anywhere, the heated air we pay good money for will leak out in winter and the air conditioned cool air will leave us during summer months, thus raising the utility bills. Moisture prevention is necessary to keep mold or mildew problems from becoming an expensive issue and ruining the house permanently. Adding vents and a fan to the floor above the crawl space area will insure good ventilation and keep the moisture from entering the home. Insuring the home is draft and moisture free by adding substantial amounts of insulation will keep home owners warm and secure throughout the year.
