Last Updated on March 16, 2021 by Filip Poutintsev
The method of separating the region below your home from your actual living space is identified as crawlspace encapsulation. Its core role is to check the passage of air from the crawlspace to your living atmosphere and craft improved living conditions, if and when done appropriately. 
It is the addition of a hard wearing polyethylene wall to envelop the crawlspace including floors, foundation walls, and perhaps even its ceiling. An encapsulation barricade can be compared to the inside layer in your swimming pool the purpose of which is to prevent leaks.
The idea of encapsulation is to lessen the moisture in your crawl space which reduces the risk of mold. It also makes space for cleaner air in the crawlspace. However, ignoring the conditions of your crawl space can lead to adverse effects with your indoor air quality.
This space plays a vital role in crafting a better atmosphere for your home as approximately 50% of what you breathe in your home can come from this space. Taking time to encapsulate this area makes it easier to keep it uncontaminated and dry as feasible.
Pros of Crawl Space Encapsulation
1. Prevents Structural Damage
It is very important to prevent moisture from mounting up in your crawl space so as to keep up the long-standing strength of your home’s foundation. You prevent the leakage of the sogginess to the dirt surrounding your home’s groundwork when you prevent dampness from gathering in your crawl space.
A moist crawl space underneath your home can create mess even though gutters aim water away from your home’s groundwork. Crawlspace encapsulation is a good help in preventing the reservation of moisture that results in a durable foundation of your home for years.
2. Additional Storage Space
You are creating a dry and hygienic environment when you encapsulate your crawl space. You can also use your newly made space as a storage area which can become easier if you have an easy entrance to it through a door of some kind. It transforms into a safe and sanitary space with no extensive swings of humidity all through the seasons or threat of pest plague.
In the presence of an out-sized and reachable area under your home, you can save the cost of adding up an extra storeroom to a new location on your property if you choose to encapsulate the crawl space instead, since the cost of an encapsulation system could be considerably less when compared.
3. Trims Down Odors in the Home
Crawl space can awfully contribute to stinking odors in your home.
One of the biggest contributors to foul odors in your home is the crawl space. The encapsulation course will consist of cleaning-up and fixing your crawl space.
Your home will no longer be open to smells related to mold mildew after being proficiently sealed. After the completion of the procedure you’re likely to sense the scent of cleaners like bleach in the initial days because of the necessity to make the area underneath your home germ-free.
4. Reduction in Overall Heating Costs
Despite the installation of a crawlspace encapsulation system being costlier than just leaving it in whatever state it is, the sealing process will help you reduce you heating and cooling costs in a long run.
The area will produce its own form of padding when you leave it conserved, defending the heat from your enclosed surrounding from the colder floor underneath. Throughout the summer months, it will help you to cool down the entire structure by upholding a cooler constituent in the bottom floor of your home.
5. A Healthy Heating System Can be Installed for Your Floor
Once the encapsulation is done, then you are awarded with an option to install a healthy heating system for the floor above that area. Despite the cost escalation that comes with this benefit, this system adds a new level of energy competence to your asset which helps in keeping each room at a more reliable temperature.
Cons of Crawl Space Encapsulation
1. Additional Maintenance
The installation of an encapsulation system in your crawls space calls for additional safeguarding and examination all through the year. The cost depends on the extent of features you went for during the setting up process.
If you aren’t residing in a geographic region with a lot of rain or moisture, then the sealing advantages of this product might not be able to live up to your expectations or give you the anticipated return on your investment.
2. Regular Servicing of the Dehumidifier
A way to save money on a system as such is to get a manual dehumidifier installed instead of an automatic product. Your newly installed encapsulation system is very likely to need service every 72 hours to make sure that it can perform properly.
3. Might Need to Upgrade Your HVAC System
The amount of air movement throughout the home will be limited when a crawlspace encapsulation is installed. Despite its assistance in increasing the efficiency of your home, it might not permit the access of enough oxygen for an older combustion-based heating system to run normally.
This means that you may perhaps need to advance your HVAC system to guarantee that the temperature levels in your home stay easy and constant.
4. Doesn’t Facilitate the Storage of Volatile Material
It is not sensible to store up anything volatile in this area, despite having a solid padding serving as the base for your crawl space. Items such as gasoline, solvents or chemical cleaners have to be put up in your garage because of the undeviating flammability risk these products give.
If your extra space is to be manage only for the storage of these items, then the installation of an encapsulation system won’t be a good pay back for your investment or a budget-friendly expense.
5. Requires Foundation Wall Insulation
Your contractor might recommend that your area would benefit from the installation of foundation wall padding if you decide to follow an estimate for your crawlspace encapsulation.
Composed of spray foam, this product is generally priced in the range of $5 to $2 per board foot. The charge of batting can range from $3 per roll to $300 for a bigger region. The expert you appoint will cover up the foundation walls with a stiff R-value foam panel based on local building codes.
Sources:
