The basement or crawl space and the attic couldn’t be further apart from each other, physically. So how is it that these two spaces can be connected enough to have a significant effect on each other?
A building science concept called the stack effect links these two spaces. Today, we’re going to explain how you can leverage the stack effect to improve your home from the top to the (encapsulated) bottom.
First off, what is crawl space encapsulation?
Understanding Crawl Space Encapsulation
Encapsulating a crawl space is the process of drying out, waterproofing, air sealing, and insulating the area underneath the ground floor of a home. Crawl space encapsulation can include the following:
Sump pump installation
Air sealing
Vapor barrier installation
Pipe and wall insulation
Once encapsulated, a crawl space will remain dry, temperatures will stabilize, and it will be isolated from the unpredictable outdoor air (and even pest infestations). Now, are you wondering why you would want to go through all the trouble to do this to a part of the home that is rarely used? Read on!
How the Crawl Space Affects the Rest of the Home
An unfinished crawl space can be used for a couple of different things, like storage or for hiding unsightly appliances like water heaters. But why is it so important that this rarely-occupied space should have stable temperatures and very little moisture? It is because of the stack effect.
The stack effect is a building science principle that illustrates the home as a stack of different levels, with each level affecting the other in a symbiotic way.
Consider the attic: as heat is generated inside your home from activities like showering and appliances like ovens and furnaces, it will rise to the top of the home in search of cooler temperatures (hence the common phrase, “heat rises”). Air holes and poor attic insulation offer a path for heated air from your living space to escape, and that air will need to be replaced from somewhere. The crawl space is the end of the line, meaning the humid, musty, and dirty air from a leaky or wet crawlspace can be pulled all the way through your living space and up into the attic!
Another way to think about it is “as below, so above” when it comes to the air in your home. The healthier the air in your crawl space, the healthier the air in the rest of your home.
Assured Insulation: Frankfort and Chicago Southland’s Crawl Space Experts
Is your home filled with drafty rooms? When you walk on your floors in the mornings, do you cringe at how cold your feet become? Do you wonder why the upstairs is so hot while the ground floor is nice and cool? Are you looking to reduce your energy costs, or just keep your indoor humidity at bay? All of these symptoms can be connected to the crawl space.
Assured Insulation can help you solve these problems with crawl space encapsulation for your home. We have the equipment, expertise, and even the rebates to make your home improvement project effective, affordable, and convenient.