CENTRAL ATLANTA Blog

Is my house making me sick?

Is my house making me sick? It might be your crawl space.  

Many of our conversations with our clients center around improving indoor air quality (IAQ).  Given that we spend 90% of life indoors, we want to know what we and our children are breathing in is not going to make us sick.

Have you looked at your crawl space recently? If you’ve ever been in a vented crawl space, you know they can be scary places. They’re dark, damp and many have critters that have taken up residence in this space. The air smells musty and moldy and the scariest part is that our crawl space is where some of air that we breathe comes from. This bad air gets into our living space and our ductwork distributes this bad air throughout our house.

There are approximately over 26 million homes that are currently built on crawl spaces. Each year we add another 260,000 new homes built on crawl spaces. Crawl spaces are common in our climate zone (CZ 3) in Atlanta and cheaper for homebuilders to build. They are also popular spaces to locate plumbing, ductwork, and HVAC systems.

Unfortunately, wall-vented crawl spaces can also create many problems because of the high moisture content in these spaces. Typical problems that we see in wall-vented crawl spaces include condensation on air conditioning ducts, water lines, and insulation. We also see animal feces; standing water on top of the ground vapor retarder; stained walls from water penetration and efflorescence and water-saturated soil inside the crawl space. The presence of liquid water, which supports the germination of mold spores, along with high relative humidity (RH) for extended periods of time, makes a vented crawl space in Atlanta an ideal location for mold growth and wood decay to take hold.

The picture on the left is a crawl space in Atlanta. You don’t want to know what is on top of the air handler and ductwork.

As air moves through our house it takes some of the air from the crawl space (stack effect) with it and distributes it throughout the house. Especially, if you have ductwork in the crawl space. Most ductwork unfortunately, is leaky, and it pulls air from the crawl space and distributes throughout your living space – YUCK!

We need to think about crawl spaces, differently. We need to think about crawl spaces as an extension of our living or conditioned space. One way is to make this space a non-vented or closed crawl space. If we close or encapsulate our crawl space the indoor air quality improves. You will also sleep better at night knowing you are not breathing in bad air from your crawl space.

At Koala Insulation of Central Atlanta, we strive to stay up to date on the latest building science advancements, testing, and recommendations. Over the past few years, building scientists have proven that vented crawl spaces are BAD.

Benefits of a closed or encapsulated crawl space:

1. Breathe easier. Vented crawl spaces have a huge negative impact on indoor air quality.
2. Reduce the chances of costly floor repairs. Moisture rots wood and causes hardwood floors to buckle.
3. Enhance comfort. Floors won’t be cold in winter. House won’t be muggy in summer.
4. Lower energy bills. Crawl space encapsulation can reduce energy bills by up to 20%, according to Advanced Energy’s research.
5. Make your heating & cooling equipment and ducts last longer. An air handler and ducts in a vented crawl space will not last as long as equipment in a conditioned crawl space.
6. Qualify for rebates and tax incentives. Some utilities offer rebates. The federal government has tax incentives for home performance improvements.
7. An encapsulated crawl space is an attractive selling feature. Potential buyers comparing two similar houses will find the one with an encapsulated/closed crawl space more appealing.

As you can see there are many benefits to a closed or encapsulated crawl space. The team at Koala Insulation of Central Atlanta is here to help you understand your options for your crawl space. We will do a free inspection and come up with a plan that meets your objectives and budget. If indoor air quality is important to you and your family, let’s talk about ways to improve your crawl space. 

Contact your us at (404) 994-1287 or visit our website at Koala Insulation of Central Atlanta  to schedule a free evaluation.