The crawlspace of your Central Pennsylvania home is one of those places that’s easy, intentionally or unintentionally, to ignore. Unless a contractor or technician needs access to look at piping or electrical work, it’s a dark and dirty part of your home that’s often thought of as “out of sight, out of mind.”
But even if you’re not thinking about your crawlspace, it could very well be negatively affecting you and your home performance in ways you didn’t realize. Here are a few scenarios common to homes in Carlisle, York, Chambersburg, and Lancaster where your crawlspace could be the problem. We’ll also explain why crawlspace encapsulation is likely the solution.
“My House Is Always Drafty”
The way air moves in a house (known as the stack effect) means that the most likely places air is entering or leaving your home are the top (your attic) or the bottom (your basement and crawlspace). Your crawlspace, in particular, is a prime candidate for gaps, cracks and air leaks, which explains how outdoor air is coming up under your feet and moving throughout your house.
“My House Is Always Too Cold/Too Hot”
Heat moves in a similar fashion to air in your home: from top to bottom or bottom to top, depending on the season. If your house is too cold in the winter or too warm in the summer, even when your HVAC systems are on, that’s a good sign that the poor insulation and lack of air sealing in your attic and crawlspace are letting conditioned air escape from your home.
“My House Is Making Me Sick”
Always sneezing when you’re in your house? Do your seasonal allergies seem to be acting up more than usual this year? Two things could be going on. First, pollutants and contaminants could be coming inside, along with outside air. Second, outside humidity is building up in your crawlspace and creating mold. Both are creating indoor air quality (IAQ) issues and potential health problems for the people living in your home.
How Crawlspace Encapsulation Can Solve These Issues
Now that you know how your crawlspace could be causing some of the seemingly-unrelated issues in your home, what should you do about it? The answer is simple: encapsulate your crawlspace.
Encapsulating your crawlspace involves insulating and sealing the area underneath your home so that air, moisture and heat can be controlled. At Energy Smart Home Improvement, our thorough encapsulation process includes, in order:
Sealing the crawlspace with a vapor barrier, seam tape, and spray foam
Sealing foundation vents to create a pressure boundary
Installing spray foam in the gaps between the foundation and the wood framing
Install rigid insulation to the foundation walls
Conduct a blower door test to confirm success
Crawlspace encapsulation can bring significant and energy-efficient benefits to your home, including healthier indoor air, lower energy bills, and improved over home performance.
Contact Energy Smart for Total Encapsulation
If you’re a South Central Pennsylvania homeowner struggling to understand why your home seems to be heating and cooling so inefficiently, or dealing with health issues potentially related to the indoor air quality of your home, Energy Smart Home Improvement can help determine whether crawlspace encapsulation is a good choice for your home.
A home energy audit can provide a full analysis and inspection of your home, identifying the weakest points in your home performance. Then, our team of building science experts can recommend the specific home upgrades that will make a difference in the energy costs and indoor air quality of your home.