Crawl Space Insulation And Indiana Cold Weather

As winter approaches, many Indiana homeowners start to consider ways to save money on energy and reduce heat loss. One of the best places for a homeowner to look at energy savings during the winter months is the crawl space, which then raises the question as to what is the proper way to insure your crawl space contributes to your homes energy savings and not the other way around.

To properly answer this question we must first understand a little bit more about Indiana crawl spaces in general. Most vented Indiana crawl spaces tend to be very wet, damp environments. The dirt floor of these crawl spaces also continuously has moisture escaping out of it and moving in an upward motion into the crawl space and up into the living areas (Stack Effect). Because of this, just simply installing fiberglass insulation in your crawl space without address any of the moisture issues can actually lead to more problems down the road and here's why. Fiberglass insulation installed in the crawl space between the floor joist will tend to act like a sponge for moisture that is escaping out of the dirt crawl space floor and working its way up through the house. This in turn allows the fiberglass insulation to absorb that moisture. Many times this makes the fiberglass insulation much heavier and runs the risk of falling out from between the floor joist and on the damp crawl space dirt floor. Fallen insulation in your crawl space can then become a problem for possible mold growth. The other, and sometimes more severe issue with fiberglass insulation holding moisture, is if the fiberglass insulation does not fall from between the floor joist. If the insulation remains installed between the floor joist and continues to hold moisture, then that moisture will eventually begin to effect the structural wood on the floor joist. Prolonged high moisture levels in the floor joist will eventually lead to costly issues such as mold growth or wood rot.

Because of these possible issues the real question becomes whether or not you should use fiberglass insulation in your Indiana crawl space at all? My answer to that would be a cautious yes, just as long as the homeowner has had the crawl space inspected for any excessive moisture issues that may effect the fiberglass insulation. If the crawl space is found to have issues with excessive moisture than the following solutions should be considered prior to any installation of fiberglass insulation in your crawl space.

1. Drainage/Sump Pump-If excessive moisture in your crawl space is being caused by standing water in your crawl space then the first step would be to install a proper sump basin and sump pump. Depending on the amount of standing water that the crawl space gets, a complete crawl space drainage system may need to be considered as well in order to keep the crawl space free of standing water permanently.

1. Vapor Barrier-Installing a proper vapor barrier across the entire dirt floor of your crawl space should be the first consideration when dealing with excessive crawl space moisture that is not being caused by standing water. A proper crawl space vapor barrier works by trapping the moisture escaping out of the dirt floor, keeping it from moving up into the crawl space and becoming absorbed by the fiberglass insulation.

2. Crawl Space Encapsulation System-Sometimes a vapor barrier alone may not reduce the moisture levels in your crawl space to an acceptable level. This tends to be the issue when there are other factors contributing to the excessive moisture other than just the dirt crawl space floor. These other factors can include foundation block seepage or excessive moisture being caused by outside air coming into the crawl space from the crawl space vents. If these other factors are playing a part in the excessive moisture issues of your crawl space then a complete crawl space encapsulation system may need to be considered. A crawl space encapsulation system works by sealing the crawl space off from all of the outside environments, which in turn creates a barrier from all areas that are contributing to the excessive moisture rather than just the dirt crawl space floor.

For more information about crawl space insulation or any other crawl space issue please click here or visit www.swaincollc.com

Crawl Space Sump Pumps

Many home owners with crawl spaces under their home who discover they get standing water in their crawl space after a heavy to moderate rain realize they must do something. Too often they make a decision to install just a sump pump and instantly they have a false sense of security. Yes it is true if your crawl space gets a foot of water at times a sump pump will prevent the crawl space from holding that much water as long as the pump works. Although a sump pump will lower the amount of water in the crawl space, what have you really accomplished? Let’s face it most sump pumps are installed close to the crawl space entry for maintenance purposes. So when the home owner opens the crawl space entry and sees 1-2 inches of water in places instead of a foot of water throughout the crawl space and sees the pump working they feel better. In truth a very damp crawl space is the same as a crawl space with a foot of standing water. They both produce 100% moisture in the crawl space air. This will then increase the moisture levels in the structural wood and will create an environment in the crawl space for wood destroying fungi growth and increased potential for mold growth in the living area above the crawl space. It is not the physical water that is doing the damage, but rather it is the amount of moisture in the air that is doing the damage. A very damp crawl space is the same as having a foot of water throughout the crawl space. If all the gutters are clean and the down spouts are draining away from the house properly with proper grade around the foundation and the crawl space still has standing water after a rain, the crawl space is most likely affected by a high water table. The only remedy in this case is a crawlspace drainage system. For best results the crawl space should also be encapsulated. Don’t be fooled by the Sump Pump only FALSE Sense of security. If you think you might need a drainage system, call 317-828-7897 for a free inspection or visit www.swaincollc.com

Crawl Space Encapsulation in Indiana

Indiana crawl spaces are notorious for developing severe moisture problems that can go undetected until there is serious structural wood damage in the crawl space. Structural wood damage in the crawl space can be very expensive to repair. Also repairing structural wood damage in the crawl space can cause even more damage in the home above the crawl space. Too often home owners do not consider the crawl space an important part of the home structure and think of it as "out of sight, out of mind". The truth is that the crawl space is a place where many damaging and unhealthy problems originate. For example if there are mold problems in the living area or attic the problem most likely started with excessive moisture in the crawl space. Often times these problems are remediated without ever finding and correcting the true source. If the source is moisture laden air moving up through the house from the crawl space called (stack effect), the problem will return if the cause of excessive moisture in the crawl space is not permanently corrected. Standing water in the crawl space is a serious problem and should be eliminated by making sure gutters are clean, down spouts is extended away from the house, proper grade around the foundation and in some cases a crawl space drainage system. Although a crawl space that never has standing water can be just as destructive. High levels of moisture can occur from increased humidity entering the crawl space through the foundation vents in the summer. Remember the higher the temperature of the air the more moisture it can hold in the vapor form (humidity). When this moisture saturated air enters an area with cooler temperatures like a crawl space the moisture in the air will condensate and turn too physical water on surfaces that are cooler such as floor joist, sill plates, sub floors, middle beams and soil or vapor barriers. It is much like taking a cold glass of tea outside on a hot humid day and in seconds the exterior of the glass will form water on it. This is caused by the hot humid air hitting the cold glass and the moisture in the air condensates and turns to water. The crawl space should be considered just as important as any other part of the house. A permanently dry crawl space can save the home owner thousands of dollars by preventing structural damage and mold problems throughout the house and is healthier for those who reside in the home. Plus a permanently dry crawl space will create energy savings. Encapsulating a crawl space by sealing the ground, foundation, foundation vents and all other entries to the crawl space from outside air is the best way to protect the health of your home and everyone who lives in it. Encapsulation should be done with a 12mill nylon reinforced membrane along with a commercial grade dehumidifier/air purifier. A properly encapsulated crawl space will change the environment in the crawl space that will prevent mold and structural wood damage. Plus a properly encapsulated crawl space will save on average 25% on energy costs if the home has a full crawl space. For more information on crawl space encapsulation or to schedule a free crawl space inspection call 317-828-7897 or visit www.swaincollc.com

Crawl Space Insulation

Winter is here, and now is the time to start considering how best to insulate your crawl space. Especially if you are having issues with cold floors and cold rooms. A very common practice with Indiana crawl spaces is to use fiberglass insulation between the floor joist in the crawl space. Depending on the amount of water or moisture your crawl space gets, fiberglass insulation can sometimes do more harm than good. If your crawl space tends to get large amounts of water or moisture, fiberglass insulation will tend to work like a sponge. As the moisture rises with the natural air flow of the home (stack effect) it is absorbed in the fiberglass insulation. This will make the insulation much heavier allowing for a better chance of the fiberglass insulation to fall from the floor joist onto the crawl space floor. Moisture being trapped in the insulation also raises the concern for increased chance or wood rot. This is because the moisture is trapped in the insulation that is installed between your floor joist, increasing the moisture content of those floor joist. If your crawl space has very low amounts of water or moisture, than fiberglass insulation in the floor joist can be effective. Another form of insulation used commonly in Indiana crawl spaces is spray foam insulation. Spray foam insulation can be effective, but only if done on the foundation walls and not the structure wood elements. Spray foam insulation installed on the structure wood elements will allow moisture to be trapped between the spray foam and the structure wood. This will increase the chance of wood rot by a great amount. It will also make it very difficult to replace if it does rot because the spray foam will have to be removed. Foam board insulation on the foundation walls is a very good type of insulation to use in the crawl space. This type of insulation can be installed directly on the foundation walls. The seams can also be sealed with a waterproof tape. For more information on crawl space insulation or to find out if your crawl space needs insulation visit www.swaincollc.com or call 317-828-7897

How Your Crawlspace Can SAVE YOU MONEY This Winter

For many homeowners the thought of their crawlspace saving them money is not one that happens to often. The fact is in many cases a crawlspace can be an area that homeowners can achieve the most energy savings in their home. This energy saving accomplishment can be achieved by installing a crawl space encapsulation system. Homes that do not have an encapsulation system in the crawlspace will traditional have much higher moisture levels than those homes that do have an encapsulation system. Homes that have higher moisture levels spend more money on energy. This is due to a few different reasons, one being the fact that it is harder to heat and cool air that has a high moisture level, making you furnace or a/c unit work harder than it needs to. Also, homes with high moisture levels have more energy going to drying out the air than needs to. Again making your furnace or a/c unit work harder. Many crawlspace homes that have these high moisture levels can attribute them to the crawlspace itself. High moisture levels in the crawlspace will typically mean high moisture levels in the home. The natural air flow of a home is from bottom to top. So essential whats in your crawlspace is also in your home and is carried up into the living area by this natural air flow or stack effect. So if moisture levels can be reduced or eliminated in the crawlspace this would at the same time do the same for the upstairs living area. And the most effective way of accomplishing this would be to completely seal off the crawlspace from the outside environments that are causing your crawlspace to have these high moisture levels. Moisture gets into the crawlspace from block seepage, moisture rising up through the ground, or unconditioned air coming through your crawlspace space vents. So by sealing off these areas the homeowner has eliminated the chance of moisture from these areas getting upstairs into the living areas. Thus saving on energy cost due the amount of energy that now has to be used to heat and cool a dry home, compared the amount of energy used to do the same on a damp, wet home. Although energy savings is an amazing and proven benefit of the encapsulation system, it is by far not the only great benefit of the system. Additional benefits include elimination of mold/musty smells, cold floors in the winter, future wood damage issues, creation of a much healthier living condition, drastically reducing the chance of mold growth, and so much more. To find out how you can save energy and benefit from all the additional perks of an encapsulation system visit www.swaincollc.com or call 317-828-7897