Insulating Crawl Space Floor

Cold air that sweeps through a crawl space meanwhile can lead to cold floors inside the home whether or not the space is wet.

Insulating crawl space floor.

Where winter temperatures are extreme opt for insulating the walls and sealing off the crawl space entirely. A crawl space under a house helps protect against certain pests but a crawl space with abundant moisture can invite problems including mold wood rot and vermin. Department of energy recommends r 11 3 insulation under floors in warm climates and an r 25 6 to 8 in cold climates. Insulation also helps to preserve the air quality and reduce energy costs.

A temperate lower area that will keep upper floors warm while your home s foundation remains in sound condition. Crawl space insulation as a part of overall home air sealing and insulation helps maintain your entire home s energy efficiency without insulation heat and cool air are easily lost through the floor. This type of crawl space also allows insulation with an r value of 19 installed in the floor joist if the crawl space and has a permanently installed dehumidifier. Proper crawl space insulation also can prevent your crawl space from becoming a moist environment that grows and harbors mold and mildew controlling crawl space temperature and moisture is a dual process that works toward a common goal.

To take the chill out of a crawl space it s usually best to insulate the exterior masonry walls rather than the underside of the floor above. This type of insulation allows for conditioned air to be introduced into the crawl space. However the insulation needs to be treated with a fire retardant. Be sure to.

That s especially true when heating ducts or pipes pass through the space. In moderate or dry climates without the threat of sustained subfreezing temperatures insulation between floor joists makes sense. Unless there are excessive moisture problems in the crawl space use unfaced fiberglass batts to insulate the walls.