GREENVILLE Blog

How A Sealed Crawl Space Protects Your South Carolina Home

Your home's crawl space serves multiple purposes. This area under your home is generally about one to three feet in height and may extend the full foundation of the house or just a part of it. The crawl space elevates a building, reduces the risk of flood damage, and helps to collect humid air and disperse it. You have access to plumbing, wires, vents, and other systems that are crucial to the functionality of your home.

How can a sealed crawl space help to protect you, your household, and the things you care about inside the building?

What Is A Sealed Crawl Space?

In most cases, when a contractor refers to a “sealed” crawl space, they mean an encapsulated or closed crawl space. This goes further than your basic air sealing job performed by local experts like Koala Insulation of Greenville.

An encapsulated crawl space has no wall vents for outdoor air to pass through. The ground is covered with a moisture or vapor barrier that is sealed against the foundation walls. This keeps out excess water and is paired with quality air sealing to create an air and watertight space.

The Southeastern United States has higher humidity and moisture in the air when compared to the rest of the U.S. This puts homes in South Carolina at a greater risk of mold growth, mildew, and other health concerns. Areas like your crawl space need to be regularly evaluated and properly sealed in order to reduce the risks that come with moisture and condensation.

Sealed Crawl Space Benefits

Energy Efficiency

A big motivator that causes homeowners to look into the benefits of sealed crawl spaces is the opportunity to reduce energy waste and monthly expenses. Up to 10% of heat is lost through poorly insulated floors, significantly contributing to higher heating and cooling bills throughout the year. When places like your crawl space don’t provide adequate support to ventilation, temperature regulation, and climate control, you’re going to see a problematic increase in your monthly energy costs.

The barrier created by a sealed crawl space helps to reduce the impact of outdoor temperatures in your home, keeping out unwanted heat in the summer and trapping in desired warmth throughout the winter. In turn, your HVAC system doesn’t need to run as often or for as long to keep your space at a comfortable temperature throughout the years. While you may not notice the difference as often in the milder months of the year, this is the primary culprit of your cost spikes during the summer and winter when extreme temperatures take the worst toll on your systems.

Reduced Moisture

One of the primary benefits sealed crawl spaces have over vented crawl spaces is the ability to lock out moisture. Unsealed spaces have difficulty regulating humidity, creating the perfect environment for mold growth, bacteria, and unwanted pests looking for a dark, dank home. This humid air rises up through the floorboards and contributes to a stuffy, uncomfortable environment and poor indoor air quality.

A sealed crawl space creates an airtight space that protects the foundation, underfloor, and items under your home. Paired with a dehumidifier to reduce the impact of internal moisture that can occur, this space needs to be periodically maintained to remain effective. Sealing your crawl space includes inspecting the area for existing, hidden issues that could be costing you each month.

Storage Space

A sealed crawl space is more temperature-regulated than an open space. In addition to this as well as reduced moisture and humidity risks, it creates a potential for extra storage space. For crawl spaces that have easy access through a sealed door or hatch, you can easily slip in and out of the area without disturbing the functionality of the space. This is great for people who find themselves in need of extra space to tuck away those holiday decorations!

On the other hand, it's important to note that if your crawl space can't be easily accessed by a sealed opening, then this won't be an applicable benefit to your home. The key to this perk is to have an access point that remains tightly sealed when it's closed. If you need to access your crawl space by means such as removing a panel or floorboards, then this temporary break in the seal can cause issues for the temperature regulation and moisture barrier.

Home Value

Finally, these benefits contribute to the value of your home. The return on investment of updated air sealing contributes not only to a reduction in your annual energy costs but also as an enticing quality for potential home buyers. According to recent research, buyers are looking for energy efficiency and environmentally friendly upgrades.

When it comes to making home improvements, it's always important to look closer at how the changes will impact your home value. Homebuyers are looking for energy-efficient upgrades and are willing to pay more for changes that are already yielding results. Investing in these types of quality improvements is guaranteed to see a continued contribution in increased value over the years.

Properly Sealing Your Space With Greenville Area Experts

Sealing your crawl space can mean scheduling an encapsulation job or just properly air-sealing the space under your floorboards. Regardless of which option you're looking for, you need the right local team to help you find the best solution. At Koala Insulation of Greenville, we're dedicated to finding our neighbors the most cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions while focusing on the unique needs of your home.

When you schedule a free evaluation, our team of insulation experts takes a close look at your home by pouring over our energy-saving checklist. With the results of our assessment, you and your household can make informed decisions that take into account your current schedule and budget. Learn more about the needs of your crawl space today by scheduling a free evaluation with Koala Insulation of Greenville.