Even though spring is just around the corner, winter is still here and the cold, damp, and blustery weather can wreak havoc on your crawl space if it has not been properly winterized. The last thing you want to deal with while you are enjoying the powdery winter wonderland is a mold infestation, structural damage, or an unexpected increase in your energy bill.
What exactly does “winterizing” your crawl space entail?
Winterizing is actually a multi-faceted term, which refers to the steps taken to ensure that your home is protected from winter’s natural elements.
In order to properly secure your crawl space from the cold, damp weather, it is recommended by the experts that you do the following:
Inspect your crawl space and foundation before winter comes along
If you aren’t sure what you’re supposed to be looking for, hire a professional or ask a friend who is more experienced to assist you. You’ll want to look for things like pest infestations, wood rot or bulging, signs of mold or mildew, and water seepage. Before you go any further in the process of winterizing your crawl space, you definitely want to fix any existing or underlying problems.
Check your insulation OR install some if you haven’t already
Insulation is extremely important to the health of your home and helps to keep more money in your pocket. If the insulation is old, soggy, or falling apart, or you notice that your home is extra drafty, you will want to replace it. Insulation is comprised of thousands of tiny air pockets. These pockets trap the air in the crawl space and prevent the transfer of energy. If these pockets become full of water, or if the insulation starts to decay from the mold or mildew growth, then it cannot properly serve your home. In order to be restored.
Once you have cleaned and repaired your crawl space and added new insulation (if needed), the next step is a must in preventing future headaches and spending unnecessary money.
Install a vapor barrier
A vapor barrier is a must if you are wanting your crawl space to be waterproofed and free of excess humidity and condensation. With rain and snow coming into the space under your house, mold, mildew, and wood rot are highly likely to flourish. Encapsulating a crawl space can be done individually or by a professional. You can purchase reinforced polyethylene crawl space liner from various places online and at your local home improvement store. When using, you want to make sure the entire floor of the crawl space is covered as well as the walls. There are very specific techniques to ensure everything is covered properly—therefore, it may be wise to contact a professional if you are unsure about doing it yourself.
Don’t wait until it is too late—get busy with initially inspecting your crawl space so that you can make a plan; you want to be fully ready for next year’s winter weather!
If you do decide that you’d like to winterize your crawl space and need some advice going forward with it, give Restoration Certified Specialists, Inc. a call. RCS prides themselves in excellent customer service and in being experts in water and mold restoration and also specialize in creating moisture and vapor barrier for crawl spaces. They treat each project with the utmost importance and care.
