Labor Day! CleanSpace Crawlspace Encapsulation System: Unhealthy Crawls Make Unhealthy Homes

Monday, September 4th, 2017 by Joy Padgett

It’s Labor Day! For many people, this is NOT a day off. Sorry about your luck. For others, this day has been set aside for some fun and relaxation! Good for you! Have a great day! Still others have planned to think about working around the house on some random home improvement project that has been sitting on the back burner collecting nothing more than dust for the past 3 years….and there’s no real focus or direction….BUT for those hard core literal types, this is a day to work on a specific home improvement project that will consume the majority of the day and leave you tired yet happy at the end of the day.

If you are among that last group, this blog is for YOU!! For me, it seems like Labor Day always means doing work of some sort. In the past, it meant actually having to work at my place of employment. For the past few years, however, my place of employment has been closed on Labor Day…but it was simply traded off for working around my house doing things like painting, fixing fences, cleaning out the attic, refinishing kitchen cabinets or some other project I just never had the time to do until this day rolled around. Funny how that works.

I’ve been contemplating about this year’s Labor Day project. BUT, instead of telling you what I’m going to be doing this year, I thought I’d tell you about a project the company I work for emphasizes at this point in the year: CleanSpace Crawlspace Encapsulation Systems. And yes, it really is as cool as it sounds!

This is the time of year when the weather begins to become more unpredictable and more unstable with warm and humid days followed by cool and rainy days. Temperature fluctuations are common in Central Kentucky year-round, but September seems to be the time of year when homeowners should focus their home improvement projects on the crawlspace in preparation for cooler….even downright cold, weather.

As the weather continues to cool down, it becomes more important to address crawlspace issues. Why? Because you’ll be turning on your heating system in the next month or so and that warm air you want inside your house is fixing to exit through your crawlspace. Yep. You read that right, but let me say it again. The warm air you want to keep inside your house is fixing to leave through your crawlspace.

Why is this? Well, chances are, when your house was built over a crawlspace, the crawlspace wasn’t sealed….at all. That means there are gaps, cracks and crevasses that are providing a pathway for your warm air to leave in search of cooler air. Hot always moves to cold. It’s real friendly that way. Hot air just cannot stand to know other air is cold. So, it moves out in search of that cold air in an effort to heat it up. …you know, share the warmth. Unfortunately, you don’t want to heat your crawlspace and live in a house that won’t stay warm….in every room….for the entire cold season.

Plus, your crawlspace might look like this…..

And there are a ton of issues in a crawlspace that looks like that!

Weatherization Plus, the company I work for, has a fantastic solution for crawlspace issues. It is so well done that even home inspectors have been impressed! We use a system designed to create a clean, encapsulated crawlspace. BUT, not only does it give you a clean crawlspace; it also seals the crawlspace and can direct water (that may flow into the crawlspace during the rainy season) out of the crawlspace! The products we use are superior to those of other crawlspace encapsulation products you may be able to purchase at a big box store…or even at your local hardware store for that matter.  Our technicians also check for mold under any batt insulation you may have in your crawlspace so that it, too, can be addressed.

Just a sidebar about mold: The presence of mold in your crawlspace can be transferred into your living space by way of your duct system if it is located in your crawlspace. Since most of the ductwork we inspect is leaky, mold spores can be sucked into the duct system and distributed into the rooms of your house. That’s gross! Not to mention the health hazards associated with inhaling mold spores. The technicians I work with can identify mold in your crawlspace and give you an estimate on taking care of that problem.

Ok, now, back to the crawlspace system…..Here’s basically how it works. The CleanSpace Crawlspace Encapsulation System completely isolates your home (crawlspace) from the earth. Dirt crawlspaces are bad ideas because soil tends to have a high humidity level. High humidity provides a perfect place for mold, rot and decay to thrive. Critters also like damp or wet environments. Even crawlspaces that aren’t wet are still not healthy. So, using products such as a CleanSpace liner, special sealing tape, Mold-X (if needed) and our specially trained installers, you can have that damp, dirty, moldy crawlspace transformed into a CleanSpace Encapsulated Crawlspace!

Once upon a time (but this is no fairy tale), the Department of Energy and the building scientists thought that crawlspaces shouldn’t be encapsulated but rather allowed to breathe through venting the space. Well….they were probably the dumbest smart people of their generation! Further study and developments in technology has caused a reversal in the way they think nowadays.  In warm and cold climates, it is now understood that vented crawlspaces are a bad idea.

Why? Because instead of the vents allowing the moisture in the crawlspace to escape as was the original thought, the vents actually allow warm humid air in during the summer. Remember, up above we talked about how hot always moves to cold. In the summer, the air outside the crawlspace is much warmer than the air inside the crawlspace. Soooo…warm humid air is given the perfect, unobstructed pathway into the crawl….vents. This occurrence adds moisture to the crawlspace and makes the house harder to air condition as all this moisture needs to be removed from the air.

So, we visit a TON of homes with vented crawlspaces and work to educate the homeowners, like you, about the problems with the venting of the crawlspace. Of course, we enjoy showing our clients exactly what we’re talking about in their very own crawlspace! Don’t worry; you don’t have to go into your crawlspace if you don’t want to. All cell phones have great cameras so we can show you the photographic evidence without you having to join us in the crawlspace.

You can imagine the surprise when we show them the horrible condition of the crawlspace…insulation that has fallen down or is non-existent, mold on floor joists and sub-flooring, dead rodents and insects, structural rot and decay and just overall dirtiness. BUT, you should see the look we get when we tell about and show them photos of the CleanSpace Crawlspace Encapsulation System! It is the answer to their home improvement needs! 

For several of our customers, the CleanSpace Crawlspace Encapsulation System has allowed them to actually use their crawlspace for storage! For others, it allowed them to purchase or sell their home because our system exceeds what home inspectors are looking for as far as crawlspace repair is concerned. If you’ve had a home inspection and need someone to actually fix the issues, you’ve come to the right place!

What’s more, this system can be completely customized to your wants, wishes, and budget. PLUS, we can finance your job if you’re interested in that method of payment. 

So, what are you waiting for! You deserve to live in a house with a crawlspace that isn’t contributing to your health problems and reducing the energy efficiency of your home. You know who to call now!