As the part of your home that is tucked away and kept out of your sight, you probably don’t give your crawl space much thought. However, this seemingly minor area can cause a wide variety of complications that range from compromising your home’s structural integrity to impacting your family’s health.
Luckily, there is an easy solution to containing the moisture in your crawl space. A plastic vapor barrier is a simple tool that prevents moisture from creeping into the air of your home’s crawl space. Let’s take a look at the advantages of using a crawl space plastic barrier in your home.
Minimize dampness
The majority of crawl spaces are prone to problems with dampness. Water easily seeps through the dirt floor underneath a home, creating a large amount of moisture and humidity in the crawl space. As this amount increases, mold and mildew grow in the damp and dark environment. Not only are these unwanted fungi a threat to your home’s structure, but they create hazardous fumes that are dangerous for humans to breathe in.
A crawl space plastic barrier will essentially seal your crawl space, deterring moisture from rotting your home’s wood, rusting its metal, and damaging the drywall. By using a crawl space plastic vapor barrier to prevent mold growth, you’ll also keep the space free of hazardous fumes that endanger your family’s health.
Control your home’s temperature
A crawl space plastic barrier can even help you save on energy bills. Moisture increases the humidity levels in your home, which in turn make your home hotter or cooler than it would otherwise be. Although you don’t know it, you are likely running your air conditioner or furnace for longer periods of time to account for higher humidity levels. As crawl space vapor barrier materials are made to seal out moisture and reduce humidity, your home will have better temperature management and you will have lower energy costs.
Reduce electrical hazards
Everyone knows that water and electrical systems don’t mix well, but what many people may not have thought about is the potential for these two elements to meet in their basement. Many homes have their electrical components in an area near the crawl space, giving the moisture in that space the opportunity to cause electrical shorts, rusted wires, or fires. Even something as simple as a 10 mil vapor barrier in your crawl space can help ensure that your home’s electrical system is free from moisture.
Over 27 million homes in the U.S. contain crawl spaces and every one of these homeowners should be thinking about how that space can affect the rest of their home. Contact Crawl Space Ninja today to discover the crawl space encapsulation products that can make a difference in your home.
2 thoughts on “The Benefits Of Using A Crawl Space Plastic Barrier In Your Home”
Hey Mike, I live in south Louisiana, very high humidity and gets very hot, we get cold weather but not so much, my house raised because of flooding down here, no crawl space walls,just open. Floors in winter you can feel the cold air coming through the joints in the floor, in the summer the airconditer causes the floor boards to cup because water is condensing on the warm side of the floor under the house, I started trying to put mineral wool in the floor joists, is this a good idea or would you recommend something else.
Thanks for your help.
David DAQuin
865-654-9486
PS we lived in Seymour TN. 21 years
Hi David, Unfortunately those raised and vented crawl spaces in LA can be tricky. You cannot dry them because they are open and you cannot seal them due to flooding. In your case, and please verify with local contractors, in my mind I think you should temporarily seal the crawl space install a dehumidifier to dry the wood and spray foam the subfloor from underneath once the wood is dry. Then remove dehumidifier and temp walls. I hate spray foaming subfloors but again in your situation, I feel closed cell foam will keep exterior moisture from penetrating the wood/living space plus you get it insulated all in one. But only apply the foam after you verify wood is dry, 9-12%. The only thing to be mindful of is a leak from above could cause major problems. I hope that helps! I fly out of Seymour Airpark…beautiful place!