Should you spend money on enclosing your crawl space?
Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi have a lot of crawlspaces. The part of the foundation that holds up the whole house is the crawlspace. That’s why it’s important to take care of the crawlspace. If you let too much moisture build up in your crawlspace, it can cause mold to grow. It can also cause wood to rot or rust to form, which weakens the supports in your crawlspace. Because of this, it is important to protect your crawlspace with a vapor barrier and crawlspace encapsulation.
The main question is whether or not the cost of crawlspace encapsulation is worth it.
Both sealing off crawlspace vents and putting a vapor barrier around your crawlspace will keep water out, but in different ways. Even though it might be more expensive, crawlspace encapsulation is the better choice.
Liner for enclosing a crawl space vs. sealing a crawl space
The most common way to seal a crawlspace without putting up a vapor barrier is to just close the vents and seal them shut. One could also take the vents out by hand and patch and seal the area where they were. Without vapor barriers, you can also seal the crawlspace with vapor retardant paint. But vapor-resistant paint doesn’t work nearly as well as a real crawlspace liner. Also, if the paint gets damaged in any way, it loses its ability to stop water from getting in.
Closed crawlspaces are better than open crawlspaces in many ways. They don’t let humid air into the crawlspace, are less likely to let bugs and other pests in, and save you money on heating and cooling costs.
But if you want to know if closing off your crawlspace is the same as putting up a vapor barrier, the answer is no. Even though sealing your crawlspace makes it less likely that water will get in, water can still get in through the walls of a sealed crawlspace. This is because crawlspace walls and floors are made of porous materials. Water can get into your crawlspace through this porous concrete. This may happen less often with vapor-retardant paint, but it won’t go away as well as with a crawlspace encapsulation liner. If you want a closed crawlspace to work as well as possible, you should also buy a dehumidifier. Affordable Foundation and Home Repairs: The Crack Guys’ crawlspace encapsulation package includes dehumidifiers.
So why should you have your crawl space sealed?
Putting a crawlspace encapsulation liner in your crawlspace has a number of benefits. Here are some of these benefits:
Crawlspace liners can act as insulation for your crawlspace, helping to keep temperatures stable and lowering heating and cooling costs in your home. This can lower your energy bill by up to 20%.
Improved Air Quality: Crawlspace liners keep moisture out of your home, so mold is less likely to grow there. This will keep mold spores from spreading from your crawlspace to the rest of your home through the air. This will improve the air quality in your home as a whole.
Eliminated Condensation: Crawlspace liners are very good at stopping water from seeping through the porous concrete that makes up your crawlspace walls. This means that they can greatly reduce the humidity in your crawlspace. This keeps the pipes in the crawlspace from getting wet.
Keeps Floor Temperatures Consistent: Using energy more efficiently in the crawlspace not only leads to lower energy bills, but it can also help keep the floors above warmer in the winter.
Increase Home Value: Enclosing your crawlspace will also increase the value of your home because it will cut down on moisture problems like wood rot and mold. If you ever need to sell your house, this is a good thing.
Call Crawl Space Makeover right away if your crawlspace is damp or has mold. We can clean out your crawlspace and put in a liner that will keep moisture out. Get in touch with us today to get a free quote.
