Today we want to talk about what to do if you know you have a crawl space problem, but you may not have the money to get it fixed.
Crawl Space Encapsulation Cost
We get it. Crawl space encapsulation can be really expensive.
From time to time we run into people where they’ve got mold and structural problems, and they’re really concerned about their air quality, but they don’t have the money to get the crawl space encapsulated. It’s a huge problem, so what do you do?
Cheap Crawl Space Fixes
1. Install a Crawl Space Dehumidifier
If you want to do your crawl space project in phases, the first thing you can do is install a dehumidifier. That would be the very first thing you’d want to do.
Even if you have to go to a local store and get a cheap one in the beginning, it’ll still help to dry out the crawl space so you can move forward with the project. It’s not going to last very long and it’s gonna use a lot of energy compared to our Aprilaire Dehumidifiers, but do what you can to try to control humidity. That has gotta be step one.
2. Get Good Air Filters
The other thing you want to do is make sure you get some really good air filters for your furnace. Now the AirSafe 2000, obviously is the one we recommend, but any good allergen filter is great to put in the return air. That way, you’re capturing all of the dust, and the particles, and the mold spores, and the dust mites, that could be going through your HVAC system and contaminating the rest of your house.
3. Air Seal Your HVAC System
Another step you can take is to make sure that the HVAC system is sealed properly so that you’re not pulling crawl space air into the return. This involves checking the ductwork and sealing any joints where you’re losing air. We’ve got a few videos on how to do this that you can watch here and here.
4. The Vollara Fresh Air Cube
The last thing, and maybe one of the easiest things you can do, is get yourself a really good air purifier. The one we recommend is the Vollara FreshAir Cube, but if you have an air purifier that you like and recommend, please put that down in the comments below.
What this product does, is it uses ionization to send out purification, versus having to bring the allergen or the pollutant to it. It’s not a filter. If you’ve got mold spores, or dust mites, or high concentrations of floating objects in the air, this is one of those products, that will help get that pollutant out of the air so that it’s out of your breathing zone.
Clearing the air is really one of the most important things that you can do. Then that will make your home a better environment to live in, even if you can’t necessarily afford to do the crawl space right now.