Cedar Grove Maintenance, Inc.
Your Maintenance Resolution Specialist.
Why Should I Encapsulate My Crawl Space
Crawl spaces are part of your home, even if it is out of sight, out of mind. It is also most likely the dirtiest, dampest, and smelliest room in your entire house.
Plagued by high levels of moisture leading to mold, insect infestations, structural issues, and poor indoor air quality throughout your entire home.
Studies show that as much as 50 percent of the air in a home comes from these below-grade areas. This polluted air below the house will eventually move to the rest of the house, often times carrying odors, contributing to poor indoor air quality and causing uncomfortably high humidity levels.
Property Protection
Too much moisture can cause wood to rot, which may weaken the structure of your home. It not only affects the wood in the crawl space but can also cause your expensive wood floors to buckle, and cause damage to wood cabinetry.
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Comfort
High humidity can cause you to feel either hot and sticky or cold and clammy, while also contributing to smelly odors in the home. Moisture seeping into the living space can cause you to feel very uncomfortable and as a result many people will run their air conditioner in order to remove it. This causes not only feeling cold and clammy, but also high-energy bills.
Health
Mold, bacteria, cockroaches, and dust mites have been linked to triggering allergies and asthma attacks and may even cause children who do not have allergies or asthma to develop either condition. Exposure can cause coughing, sneezing, wheezing, upper respiratory irritation and asthma symptoms. Due to Stack Effect, the air in your crawl space will move up through the living area of your home, taking with it any contaminants. If you have a damp, moldy, unsealed crawl space, the chances that you have compromised indoor air quality in your home is high.
Energy Savings
According to a study by Advanced Energy, homeowners can expect to reduce their energy bills by 15-18% by sealing off their crawl space. They also determined that homes with vented crawlspaces were 19 times more likely to experience relative humidity levels in excess of 70% than homes with encapsulated crawl spaces.
There is a lot that goes in to encapsulating a crawl space. Proper design and installation have a huge impact on how well moisture in the crawl space is controlled. Choosing a contractor that is knowledgeable in building science and follows best practices for crawl space encapsulation allows you to have peace-of-mind that the job was done right.
Santa Fe Certified Contractors are knowledgeable in building science and follow best practices for crawl space encapsulation. They must pass a rigorous test to become certified, and are required to continue ongoing education to maintain certification. We are Santa Fe Certified!
The Santa Fe Certified Encapsulation System is one of the most effective moisture management systems for crawl spaces on the market today. Encapsulating your crawl space is an investment in your largest asset and a Santa Fe Certified Contractor ensures that the job will be done right.