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Is Encapsulating Your Crawlspace Under You Home Good?

If your home has a crawl space in it, you might be wondering about the proper maintenance and care of that area of your home. The answer is different depending on your crawl space, your property, and your home. Understanding how to care for your crawl space begins with understanding why it’s there to begin with.

Popularity of the basement crawl space underneath homes begins around the time industrialization also occurs, around the 1950s. Homes built around this time often have crawl spaces if they don’t have a full-blown basement space. They are also used when a full basement would be too expensive or impractical given the geographic area. Many of the original crawl spaces were between three and five feet tall, had open-air access, and were often used as mini versions of a basement.

We now know, however, that humid air tends to build up in crawlspaces. This humidity and the damp earth create an environment ripe for all sorts of potential problems for a home and its residents. It’s important to maintain and keep this area clear and clean for the health and safety of the home’s residents.

As with any type of basement, moisture can become a problem and seep into the crawl space via the soil. And as with any type of water problem, the best way to avoid crawl space moisture issues is to focus on the source. If you have a dirt crawl space encapsulation is likely your best option. For a bigger space, or a bigger crawl space, you might want a different solution. If you do encapsulate, don’t do so without a fully sealable space – it won’t fully work if there are large air gaps. Also be sure to account for drainage.

Encapsulating your crawlspace provides a moisture and vapor barrier between your home and the earth. The area in and around your crawl space is critically important to the structural integrity of your home. Ensuring a proper level of moisture in the space is key. This is also a good time to determine if you need to insulate the upper level of your crawl space and provide some added energy efficiency benefits to your home.

If you decide to encapsulate your crawl space, be sure to get in touch with a professionals at RCS in Santa Rosa to help you.

How to Use Gas Safely in Your Home

How to Use Gas Safely in Your Home

One of the reasons we have been using gas in our homes for as long as we have is because gas is both clean and convenient for most households. Today, nearly any appliance can be run off of gas in your household. Thankfully, gas is pretty much as safe as electricity, if you keep a few things in mind. Here are some excellent tips to keep in mind if you use gas in your home.

How to Use Gas Safely in Your Home

Good Maintenance

Keeping your household appliances clean and in good working order not only extends the life of your appliance but makes it easier to detect any issues that may occur. Keep the piping free of any detritus and rubbish as well as free of kinks. Set up regularly scheduled maintenance to check your appliance.

Familiarize Yourself With Warning Signs

Pay attention to the warning signs that can alert you to a potential gas fault. If you believe that there is a gas fault immediately turn off the gas.

Signs may mean you have a leak are:

  • Rotten egg smell
  • Yellow flame instead of blue
  • Unexplained condensation
  • Soot stains
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Difficulty breathing

If You Believe You Have a Leak

 If, at any time, you believe that you may have a leak, turn off the gas as quickly as possible to prevent asphyxiation and fire. Open any windows and doors to get as much ventilation as possible into the space. Do not touch anything that can spark, like light switches, and do not light a cigarette. Don’t even use the telephone. From your cellphone or another location, call a professional to inspect the home.

Purchase Gas Alarms

Every home should have a smoke alarm, but homes that use gas should also purchase and install gas alarms. These alarms work very much like a smoke alarm by setting off an audible alarm when they detect gas leaks in your home. Just like with a smoke alarm, ensure that you keep it in good working order and schedule regular battery replacement. You should check it at the same time you do your smoke alarm to make sure you don’t forget.

Gas is a safe feature in your home as long as you remain aware of what warning signs to look for and take the few extra steps of purchasing a gas alarm and conducting regular appliance and alarm maintenance.