Although out of sight, the crawl space affects the entire home. It’s very prone to moisture, and with that comes mold, humidity, and mustiness. All of these issues are problematic for your family’s health and comfort.
Spring is the best time to schedule crawl space encapsulation in Chicagoland because it helps you prepare for the summer’s hot, muggy weather. Here’s what you can expect from the ARC Insulation team and how our services can improve your indoor air quality and even lower your utility bills.
Crawl Space Encapsulation Prevents Moisture, Mold, and Humidity Issues
At its core, encapsulation focuses on eliminating moisture from your crawl space. Without excess moisture, mold cannot grow. The process normally involves multiple steps, such as:
- Air Sealing: Encapsulation often starts with air sealing to close any gaps in the foundation, joists, or sill plate. These air leaks may be allowing moisture and humidity to enter.
- Insulation: Insulation may also be needed to slow heat transfer from the warm outdoors to your cool basement. This prevents condensation from forming in your crawl space, which leaves behind moisture.
- Vapor Barriers: A vapor barrier is then used to cover the floor and walls, preventing any additional moisture from the soil or surrounding air from seeping into your crawl space.
When ARC Insulation provides this service, we take a performance-based approach, rather than prescriptive. Whereas other contractors may design solutions based solely on code requirements, we look at how your home actually performs in the real world. We test thoroughly to confirm that your encapsulation makes a measurable difference in home performance, while still checking all the boxes of local codes.
Encapsulation Improves Indoor Air Quality
Mold in your crawl space rarely stays beneath your floorboards. Spores can travel through your HVAC system, air leaks in your floor, and upwards through your home via the stack effect. It reduces indoor air quality throughout your entire house, adding pollutants and a musty odor to the air you breathe. It’s also a health risk for your family. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, prolonged exposure can cause:
- Cognitive issues like lightheadedness, headaches, and brain fog.
- Respiratory problems like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or nasal congestion.
- Asthma to develop or worsen, especially in children.
Mold requires two things to grow: moisture and an organic surface (i.e., wooden floor beams). By significantly reducing moisture in the crawl space, your family doesn’t have to worry about poor air quality and respiratory issues. The EPA recommends keeping indoor air humidity at 30-50% to prevent mold. Crawlspace encapsulation in Schaumburg or Arlington Heights with the ARC Insulation team can help achieve this.
Crawl Space Encapsulation in Chicagoland Can Lower Utility Bills
Many homeowners are surprised to learn that crawl space encapsulation can lower their Naperville area home’s utility bills. When you have air sealing completed with encapsulation, you prevent cold, air-conditioned air from being wasted in the summer as it sinks to the crawl space and escapes out of cracks. As a result, your home will have more stable temperatures, your air conditioning system will run less, and you’ll use less electricity.
Reducing humidity also reduces strain on your AC. Air conditioners work by passing warm and moist indoor air over evaporator coils. The moisture in the air turns to water as it hits the dew point and drains out of the home. With less moisture in the air to begin with, the AC doesn’t need to work as hard, so you’ll use less electricity and experience lower bills. If you’re interested in learning how much you can save, consider booking an energy assessment.
Learn More About ARC Insulation’s Crawl Space (And Whole Home) Expertise
ARC Insulation is a local, family-owned business with a team of dedicated experts, many of whom have been with us for over a decade. Our crawl space encapsulation contractors in Chicagoland are fully certified, and we are BPI Building Analyst and Building Envelope specialists, so you can trust that we’ll resolve your home’s humidity issues. If you need to get your home ready for another hot, humid summer in the Naperville area, we’re here to help.
