CleanSpace: A Green Solution for your Crawl Space

Crawl space vents in VA are the cause of a housing epidemic that's spreading all across the country.  Since they were installed in their first crawlspace, they're become notorious for allowing mold, rot, and unconditioned air to fill the crawl space area.  However, as smelly, unhealthy, and energy-efficient as they are, crawlspaces are often seen as a necessary evil within the home.

Fortunately, this need not be the case.  Due to new innovations in the industry in the past decade in Virginia's crawl space repair industry, there are sensible, long-lasting, and environmentally sound ways to protect your crawl space.  Once installed, these new crawl space building practices save you money on maintenance and expensive utility bills for many years to come.

Rot and Decay:  Why Crawl Space Vents Fail

Virginia crawl space vents were designed with the assumption that they will create a crosswind in the space.  According to crawl space vent theory, this will create air circulation in the crawlspace, which will naturally push moisture and humidity out of the space.

That's precisely where the flaw with crawl space thinking lies.  Air does not move sideways in a crawlspace, it moves up, due to the natural rising movement of warm air in a home.

This makes a lot of sense.  If crawl space vents in Salem, Cave Spring, and other parts of VA were doing their jobs, then these spaces wouldn't be well-known as the rotting, humid places they are, right?

It gets worse.  In the winter, a crawl space from Staunton to Hillsville can fill with the winter cold.  This cold starts off by affecting everything that needs to stay warm in the space, such as water heaters, hot water pipes, furnaces, and heating ducts.  As these utilities work harder and harder to maintain their temperature, you can count on a huge spike in your utility bills.  Additionally, the floor above the crawl space will be cooled, creating a drafty, uncomfortable surface underfoot.

As the heat and humidity of summer rises, the problem gets even worst.  Instead of drying the crawlspace, the air that enters cools it, raising its relative humidity level and adding a great deal of humidity and condensation.  As the air's relative humidity rises, this humidity will condensate on everything in the crawl space- including wood, metal, insulation, and the floorboards above.  All of these contain at least some organic mater, and over time, this moisture will lead to rot and mold.  Additionally, the rotting wood and moldy environment will become a welcome environment for rodents, termites, carpenter ants, beetles, and many other crawl space pests, which will view the crawl space vent openings as an invitation to join your household.  As they live and die in your home, they will add unhealthy allergens, bacteria, viruses, and parasites to your home environment.  The hot, humid air will then travel upwards into the home, where the humidity will force the air conditioners to work harder.

Rotting crawl spaces quickly lead to sagging floors, foul odors, mold spores in the home, and, ultimately, a compromised structure.  If the decay goes unchecked, it will continue until waiting is not an option.  The homeowner will have to find a contractor who's willing to enter the cramped, dark, disgusting, and unhealthy space to rip out the old wood and install a new frame.  Of course, this will be extremely expensive, and the result is a crawl space area that's no different than the one that rotted in the first place.

Environmentally Friendly Crawl Spaces

Sealing the crawl space vents and installing an airtight crawl space door is a great first step to a dry crawlspace.  Follow through by lining the walls and floor with a thick, durable plastic moisture barrier (also known as a vapor barrier), and you have a system that will keep out outside air and humidity while also deterring rodents, insects, and pests.  A reliable crawl space liner can even serve as a passive radon mitigation system, holding back this harmful gas.

The CleanSpace crawl space vapor barrier provided by Evergreen Basement Systems of Blacksburg Charlottesville, and Danville combines a 20-mil polyethylene liner with a 25-year warranty against rips and tears, ensuring a long, dependable life.  Evergreen Basement Systems also recommends using a bright white material for the liner, as the white facing will make the best use of available light in the crawl space.  On block walls, cap off the hollow openings with a clear plastic coating- this will allow for termite inspections in the area should the need arise.

To make the most out of your crawl space encapsulation in Virginia, be sure to include a reliable energy-efficient dehumidifier.  The best ones in the market are very convenient, with dials that allow you to determine the desired humidity levels and self-draining designs.  This will help remove any moisture and humidity that saturated the air and wood before the crawl space encapsulation while safeguarding against any future problems. The best crawl space dehumidifiers in Lynchburg and the surrounding areas can even filter out particles in the air such as mold spores, dust mite waste, pet dander, and pollen, making a significant blow in your home allergen levels.

A durable crawl space liner and dehumidifier will transform the area into a healthier space that can even be used for storage, freeing up space in your home. The installation takes about a day, and once completed, you can start enjoying a healthier, greener home and a significant improvement in your utility bills for many years to come.
If you'd like to learn more about upgrading to a green crawlspace, Evergreen Basement Systems can help.  We offer free crawl space repair quotes to all our customers in the Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Danville, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Waynesboro, and the surrounding areas.  If you are a homeowner, business owner, or building manager and would like to make the most out of your crawl space, call or e-mail us today!