Winterize Your Crawl Space
Temperatures are finally dropping, and winter is on our doorstep. It’s time to prepare your home for the snow and frost. This includes your crawl space, which is often out of sight, out of mind. Taking a few preemptive measures to winterize your crawl space will save on energy and heating bills in the long run.
Insulation
If your crawl space ceiling is lined with pink fiberglass insulation, you’re definitely not getting enough protection from the outside frigid air. What you need is insulation that is waterproof and prevents air leaks. Our SilverGlo rigid foam insulation helps achieve both preventing cold air from entering your crawl space and your HVAC from working harder to keep your home heated. SilverGlo is also inorganic which prevent the growth of mold and mildew.
Seal vents
This is a no-brainer. Unsealed crawl space vents allow frigid air to enter your home and cool your ducts. These open vents also allow water to leak into the crawl space and potentially cause flooding. We can properly seal those crawl space vents with a durable plastic cover and keep cold air out and prevents water intrusion. In summer, those vent covers also prevent warm air from entering your cool crawl space which can cause humidity. The key is controlling the temperature in your crawl space year-round and that means closing those potential points of entry for outside air.
Encapsulate crawl space
Your crawl space sits on top of dirt under your home. There’s no barrier from the surrounding elements like water vapor or temperature changes. Controlling the environment in your crawl space is more than half the battle in fixing your air quality in your home. Our CleanSpace waterproof liner serves as a vapor barrier in your crawl space and prevents water from entering. The liner is also antimicrobial and prevents mold and mildew growth. When combined with our full perimeter drainage systems, you can take your crawl space off your list of things to agonize over.
Prevent sump pump discharge from freezing
Our customers worry about water freezing in their discharge pipes during winter. This is an issue because that block of ice in your pipe prevents water from being discharged from the sump pump. Snow and ice can also collect in buried discharge lines blocking the flow of exiting water. Since water looks for the path of least resistance, it is going to back up into your crawl space. If the hose on your sump pump freezes, the pump has to work harder leading to possible overheating. One ingenious way to prevent this from happening is to have us install our IceGuard discharge line system which is a fitting placed over your discharge line which give exiting water a secondary route of escape. IceGuard is a one-way valve which allows water out, not in. Even better news is that it is compatible with all sump pumps.
You already have a lot to contend with during a Michigan winter, don’t add high heating bills and a flooded crawl space to that list. Call us now for a free inspection so we can help winterize your crawl space.
