Achieving Clean Indoor Air Quality Through Crawl Space Encapsulation

Airborne allergens affect over 50 million Americans annually and the number increases every year. This should make indoor air quality a priority for property owners or managers. While some people believe that simply employing filters or air purifiers will do the trick, this may not always be the case.

Protection from harmful allergens and air impurities can be more effectively implemented by preventing unconditioned air from infiltrating your home through open vents, like those in your crawl space. This new year, make sure your home is effectively protected from contaminated air by encapsulating your crawl space. Improperly encapsulated crawl spaces can be a source of contaminated indoor air.

Negative Factors that Affect Your Indoor Air Quality

Poor air quality can affect your health in a number of ways, including chronic respiratory issues, viruses, and infections. In order to preserve or improve the health of those living in your house, it is important to understand what factors affect the quality of your indoor air. Pollutants to your indoor air can be any of the following:

• Cigarette/cigar smoke
• Fireplaces
• Mold and Mildew
• Lack of outside air
• Chemicals

Some of these are relatively easy to fix: Eliminate pollution from smoke and stale air by not burning cigarettes and fires inside and install outdoor air ducts for your HVAC system. But some of the other factors, such as mold and chemical gases, can only be effectively eliminated by enclosing your crawl space with a vapor barrier. Doing so will result in the following benefits:

• Humidity Control: In addition to preventing mold, an enclosed crawl space can prevent the migration of vapor through the air into other parts of your home. Humid environments can often be a breeding ground for all types of bacteria growth. The CDC recommends keeping humidity levels in your home at no more than 50%.
• Mold Prevention: The EPA states that the best way to prevent mold growth is to control moisture. A quality vapor barrier can help eliminate moisture in your crawl space, preventing the growth of mold and mildew that can be harmful to your respiratory health.
• Soil Gas Retardant: If your crawl space is encapsulated with a high-quality vapor barrier that is tightly sealed, it can also serve as a retarder to the migration of soil gases.
• Lowers Outdoor Allergen Migration: Vented crawl spaces are pathways not only for air to move out of your home, but also to move in. This can allow outdoor allergens to make their way into your home if it’s not properly protected.
• Reduces Need for Pest Control Chemicals: While an enclosed crawl space may not eliminate pests entirely, it can go a long way to preventing infestations which often require pest control that consists of harmful chemicals. These chemicals can move through the air into other parts of the home, causing potential respiratory issues for you and your family.

Thinking about the air you breathe is not intuitive, especially if there are no visible problems. But being proactive about protecting your health and your home should be your most important goal. Make sure you are investing in the best possible products and service to ensure a healthy and comfortable environment for you and your loved ones.