How do I fix my crawlspace?

Crawlspaces are usually dirty, cramped, and inefficient. Ever since builders decided to put a 4 foot high 'basement' under a living space (just enough so you can get in there to address plumbing / electrical wiring but not be able to use it for storage or living space, you know, that perfect amount of useless) homeowners have tried to figure out what to do with these spaces. 

Not sure what we're talking about? Here are some pictures!

Crawlspaces may have stone or dirt floors, insulation in the joists above, duct work, and a bunch of junk!

When we address crawlspaces, the goal is to bring the crawlspace into the conditioned space of the home. To properly address the crawlspace we must:

• Remove any junk
• Remove the insulation from the floor cavities above
• Check the duct work is air sealed properly
• Add 2" foam board to the exterior walls
• Spray foam the rim joist with 2" of 2 part spray foam
• Install a thick vapor barrier to prevent moisture to rise up from the dirt / stone floor
• Adhere the vapor barrier to the walls and pillars of the crawl space

The finished product will look like this:

Now, doesn't this crawlspace look a little more enticing to crawl into?

Sellair recommends hiring professionals to perform this work. It is grueling and difficult work to make your crawlspace energy efficient while looking professional - just think how this professional job will raise your home's value! 

Winter Wonderland

What should your attic look like? A Winter Wonderland. 

When we look at an attic, you ideally want to see it full of insulation. If you have blown fiberglass insulation, chances are it will be white. When we look at the photos below, what do we see?

We see fiberglass batt insulation and floor joists. In this scenario, being in the attic, we do not want to see any joists. If you see joists, then your home is under-insulated. After we finished the work, what do we see?

A Winter Wonderland!

Take a peek in your attic. If you do not see a Winter Wonderland, then you are under-insulated. 

Sticky, Muggy, Summer

Summer is steadily approaching, and I'm sure we are all ready for some warm weather after the polar vortex winter we just had. But sooner than you think, you'll wish your home was cold again as you combat the sticky, muggy summer air. 

One solution is to turn up your air conditioning, which will help take some of the humidity out of your home and make it more comfortable. But this can also cost a fortune, and may not even do the trick of keeping you comfortable. 

The best solution - seal those top plates and penetrations in your attic! They let air escape year round, and actually force that hot air from your attic into your home during the summer. All of the unsealed top plates and penetrations in your attic is equivalent to leaving a window open in the summer. So - what are top plates and penetrations? Look below!!

Top plates are shown left and penetrations are shown on the right. Top plates run around the entire attic. The are areas where multiple different building materials come together and consequently have gaps between the materials since they are not sealed together. Most interior walls of the home will have top plates above them that need to be sealed with foam.

Penetrations, shown to the right, come mainly in the form of plumbing and electrical penetrations. They are holes that connect right to your nice air conditioned parts of the home, and should also be sealed with foam.

From the infrared perspective, you can see below how the air leaks from the attic through the top plates into the home.

As you can see, blue spots run along the top areas of the walls where they meet the ceilng. Above those spaces in the attic are top plates and penetrations that need to be sealed. 

Stay cool this summer, and keep efficient. Air sealing & Insulation will help you year round.

Contact us for a free energy consultation. Learn how to keep cool in the summer and save money year over year.