Sealing & Insulating Your Crawl Space In IA

Outside Air Intrusion

Outside air is rarely the kind of air you want flowing into your crawl space. It's damp in wet weather, cold in the winter months, and hot and humid during the summer.

As hot, humid summer air enters a cooler crawl space, the humidity in the air condensates, collecting on insulation and wood surfaces. Wet fiberglass loses much of its insular quality, and becomes weighed down -- sagging and falling down from the joists in useless heaps.

In the winter, the cold air that enters a crawl space will affect your HVAC system, air vents, water heater, and hot water pipes. As they cool, they'll have to work harder than ever, and will cost you unnecessarily large spendings on your utility bills.

Mold & Structural Damage

As crawl spaces flood or maintain high humidity levels, mold will begin to grow on everything organic in the space -- including wood, stored items, and components of fiberglass (resins, dyes, paper backing, trapped particles, etc.). It can also grow directly on the dirt that makes up the floor.

If this mold continues to go unchecked, it will damage insulation and weaken structural wood -- including the joists and girders in a crawl space. Over time, this damage may cause the structure to sag downwards.

As it does, floors will become uneven and "bouncy", a musty smell will rise up, and interior doors may jam or stick. Finally, as the floor is pulled downwards, walls that are attached to that floor will be pulled in half, creating cracks in drywall. These symptoms may also occur if the supports are built on weak soils. As supports sink into the mud, your home sinks.

Wood-Destroying Insects

A crawl space offers moisture, food, shelter, and a consistent temperature year round. This makes them the ideal home for a wide variety of pests -- including termites, carpenter ants, cockroaches, mice, rats, snakes, wood-boring beetles, and more.

Once in the home, they will nest in insulation, destroy wood, create a potential fire hazard, and add harmful allergens to the home environment.

The key to controlling these pests in your home depends on eliminating as many of their life essentials as possible.

By sealing, insulating, and dehumidifying a crawl space, you eliminate their entrance points into your home, and remove the life-sustaining moisture that otherwise keeps them living and breeding.

Basic Crawl Space System

Our Basic Crawl Space Encapsulation System includes airtight vent covers, airtight access door, a clear cover for block wall openings, and our encapsulation liner.

Without Water Leakage

Features:

• Basic Crawl Space Encapsulation System
  - 20 mil liner

Benefits:

• Durable 25-year Warranty
• UltraFresh Antimicrobial Additive Included
• Reduces Moisture & Humidity
• Keeps Out Outside Air

With Water Leakage

Features:

• 10 mil Encapsulation System Over Floor
• Perimeter Drain System (SmartPipe)
• SmartSump™ Sump Pump System
• Optional UltraSump® Battery Backup System

Benefits:

• Drainage Matting Creates A Space For Water To Drain
• Cast-Iron Zoeller® Sump Pump
• Water Alarm Included
• Optional Battery Backup Capable Of Pumping 12,000+ Gallons On A Single Charge

Energy-Saving Crawl Space System

Our Energy-Saving package substitutes the encapsulation liner on the walls with our SilverGlo™ insulation, which does triple duty as wall insulation, a vapor barrier, and a radiant heat barrier.

Without Water Leakage

Features:

• 20 mil Encapsulation Liner Over Floor
• 2" Thick SilverGlo™ Insulation With Radiant Barrier To Insulate (R11)

Benefits:

• Dramatically Reduces Heat Loss Through Crawl Space Walls
• Reflective Surface On SilverGlo™ Provides Radiant Heat Barrier To Reflect Heat Back Into Crawl Space

With Water Leakage

Features:

• 10 mil Encapsulation Over Drainage Matting
• 2" Thick R11 SilverGlo™ Radiant Barrier On Walls
• Perimeter Drainage System (SmartPipe)
• SmartSump™ Sump Pump System
• Optional UltraSump® Battery Backup System

Benefits:

• Dramatically Reduces Heat Loss Through Crawl Space Walls
• Drainage Matting Creates A Space For Water To Drain
• Cast-Iron Zoeller® Sump Pump
• Water Alarm Included
• Optional Battery Backup Capable Of Pumping 12,000+ Gallons On A Single Charge

Ultimate Energy Savings For Your Crawl Space!

For maximum energy savings, our complete package also includes our durable TerraBlock™ Floor Insulation, which is protected by our durable 10 mil vapor barrier.

Without Water Leakage

Features:

• 10 mil Encapsulation Liner Over TerraBlock™ Floor Insulation
• 2" Thick SilverGlo™ Insulation With Radiant Barrier To Insulate (R11)

Benefits:

• Dramatically Reduces Heat Loss Through Crawl Space Walls And Floor
• Reflective Surface On SilverGlo™ Provides Radiant Heat Barrier To Reflect Heat Back Into Crawl Space

With Water Leakage

Features:

• 10 mil Encapsulation Liner Over TerraBlock™ Floor Insulation
• 2" Thick R11 SilverGlo™ Radiant Barrier On Walls
• Drainage Matting
• Perimeter Drainage System (SmartPipe)
• SmartSump™ Sump Pump System
• Optional UltraSump® Battery Backup System

Benefits:

• Dramatically Reduces Heat Loss Crawl Space Walls And Floor
• Drainage Matting Creates A Space For Water To Drain
• Cast-Iron Zoeller® Sump Pump
• Water Alarm Included
• Optional Battery Backup Capable Of Pumping 12,000+ Gallons On A Single Charge