Hey all my peeps on the Grand Strand! It’s Cool Cat coming at you with more news you can use to keep your home safe, comfortable and energy-efficient. Have you checked your crawl space lately? If not, you’re going to want to after you read this 411 on crawl space encapsulation.
What is Crawl Space Encapsulation?
The most basic way to view it is that crawl space encapsulation turns your crawl space into a waterproof capsule. There are a ton of reasons why you would want to do this that we’ll get to in a minute but first a little more about this whole encapsulation thing. First, a waterproof vapor barrier is installed. This vapor barrier is usually made from heavy-duty plastics, laminates and resins. Then the vents are sealed shut and the vapor barrier is sealed into place. This creates a clean, dry crawl space that protects against moisture, mold, pests and other issues that can impact your home from your crawl space. So, why would you want to seal up your crawl space with an encapsulation?
The Benefits of Crawl Space Encapsulation
Cool Cat promised you benefits and benefits you will have! Here are just a few of the major benefits to having an encapsulated crawl space:
- Improved Air Quality – Vented crawl spaces routinely harbor mold, bacteria and other nasties that can negatively impact your indoor air quality. Encapsulating seals all of that out so you can breathe easier.
- Lower Utility Bills – Encapsulating your crawl space can reduce your energy bills by up to 20%. That’s some major cabbage!
- Increased Comfort – No more freezing cold floors in the winter! Also, encapsulating your crawl space helps control the humidity levels in your house during the summer.
- Reduce Risk of Expensive Repairs – Moisture in the crawl space causes wood to rot–in the worst place to have rotting wood, where the supports for your house are! Moisture from crawl spaces can also cause floors to buckle. Both of these scenarios result in seriously expensive repairs to maintain the structural integrity of your home.
- Increase Lifespan of your HVAC System and Ductwork – Many crawl spaces house part of the home’s ductwork and often part of the HVAC system. An air handler and ducts in a plain vented crawl space will not last nearly as long as those in an encapsulated, conditioned crawl space.
- Good Selling Feature – If you ever decide to sell your home, an encapsulated crawl space is attractive to potential buyers. It improves the interest in and possibly the asking price of your home.
- Tax Incentives and Rebates – Some local utility companies provide rebates for crawl space encapsulation. Likewise, the federal government has tax incentives you might qualify for as home performance improvements. Some state and local governments might have tax incentive offers as well.
- Avoid and Kill Wood-Destroying Organisms – Crawl space encapsulation helps prevent bacteria, molds and pests such as termites from munching up the wood under your home. Mold issues and pests can lead to serious and costly major structural damage to your home. Encapsulation controls moisture and seals these nasties out of your crawl space.
Once you look at the long list of benefits, crawl space encapsulation is a no-brainer. It protects the foundation and structure of your home, helps you breathe easier and gives you peace of mind. If you’re interested in sealing up your crawl space against moisture and pest invaders, call the cats at Carolina Cool. They have the expertise and technology to get your crawl space encapsulated properly.
