Have you been in your crawl space recently? Most people wouldn’t want to; crawl spaces can be nasty, cobwebbed, damp tunnels that leave little room between the floors of your home and the cold dirt below.
But you should give your crawl space some much-needed attention. Excess moisture can seep from the ground and damage the wood joists of your home or structure. All that damp can lead to mold, mildew, and rot. Worse, if there is nothing to protect you from the environment below your home, the air quality inside your house can cause problems for your entire family.
Here’s what might be lurking in your crawl space and how you can clean things up.
The Air in Your Home and Your Crawl Space
Fact: About 40% of the air you breathe wafts up from your crawl space or basement.
As warm air rises and is expelled through the roof, it leaves a void that’s filled with air from your crawl space. Think of it as a circle, with colder air recirculating upwards in a cycle.
That probably doesn’t sound very energy efficient. In fact, it’s not. Houses with a dirt floor crawl space cost more to heat and cool. If the space is vented, you’re going to have some chilly floors on the first story of your home. But that’s not the only problem.
Standing water, rot, and rust, as well as mold, can form in your crawl space. If your family suffers from respiratory illnesses, allergies, or headaches, your crawl space could be the culprit. What can you do to improve your family’s comfort?
Installing a Crawl Space Vapor Barrier in the Marysville Area
A crawl space vapor barrier can block the evaporation of moisture from the ground. Lining your dank crawl space with a clean vapor barrier can block harmful moisture and mold, gasses such as carbon dioxide or radon, and warm up your living space. It can even lessen the costs associated with your monthly heating and cooling bills.
Crawl Pros, an Angie’s List Super Service Award winner, has been serving residents of the Marysville, Washington area for years. We offer a free assessment of your crawl space and can talk knowledgeably with you about how a crawl space vapor barrier can protect your home investment. Contact us to get started.