Foam Insulation: The Best Choice for Your Crawlspace
Insulating Your Home From the Ground Up
A truly energy efficient home has the perfect insulation system from its foundation up to the peak of the roof without a break in the insulation envelope. Unfortunately, crawlspaces are sometimes forgotten.
The most common complaint we hear about crawl spaces are the cold floors the homeowners experience during the winter. However, there are many more problems that will arise from an improperly insulated crawl space.
The traditional insulation system in a crawl space consists of fiberglass batting stuffed in between the floor joists. The correct way to install a fiberglass batt is to place the paper face of the batting towards the conditioned side of the space. For a fiberglass batt to work properly it needs to be installed in a clean and dry space. Unfortunately, those are not the characteristics of a crawl space. Nearly all of the crawl spaces that are insulated with fiberglass batting have exposed subfloors. This happens because the batts become wet and heavy and fall out of the cavity. Once the floors are exposed, there is nothing to prevent the cold dirty air of the crawl space from penetrating into the home.
There are two insulation systems that are appropriate for crawl spaces. The insulation system depends on the crawl space’s ventilation. If a crawl space is ventilated to the outside of the home the proper way to insulate it is by insulating the ceiling of the crawl space (subfloor). If the crawl space is vented to the interior of the home we want to create a conditioned space in the crawl space and we can do that by insulating the walls of the space.
What insulation product is the best to use in a crawl space? Whether you are insulating the walls, or the subfloor of the crawl space the most appropriate product is Closed-cell spray foam insulation. Closed-cell spray foam will provide a seamless air barrier throughout the crawl space. Air infiltration and exfiltration contributes to moisture migration. Reducing air movement deters moisture accumulation so mold growth is less likely to occur. Closed-cell spray will help reduce moisture and control the humidity, which minimizes the growth of mildew and allergens.
Green Space Construction is a spray foam insulation contractor serving St. Louis and the surrounding areas. We specialize in all types of insulation including closed cell spray foam for crawl spaces. If you are interested in insulating your crawl space with spray foam insulation please contact us and set up a time to meet with one of our efficiency consultants.