Insulating The Floor Crawl Space

The crawl space is actually dirt floor.

Insulating the floor crawl space.

Sometimes the crawl space is insulated from the above space and left cool and sometimes they are heated or cooled as part of the home but in either case there should always be insulation separating your interior space from the outdoors or you will have a lot of energy loss which you will pay for. That s especially true when heating ducts or pipes pass through the space. Proper insulation can help protect your living space from outside temperature changes and cold or hot air moving in through the bottom of a house. Crawl space insulation as a part of overall home air sealing and insulation helps maintain your entire home s energy efficiency without insulation heat and cool air are easily lost through the floor.

In those days common building practice was to insulate the floor above the crawl space and to leave the crawl space s wall vents open so any moisture buildup would vent to the outside a. Be sure to. Crawl space insulation basics. Insulation also helps to preserve the air quality and reduce energy costs.

Where winter temperatures are extreme opt for insulating the walls and sealing off the crawl space entirely. Stapling fiberglass batts between joists to the underside of your home s floor presents a number of problems. To take the chill out of a crawl space it s usually best to insulate the exterior masonry walls rather than the underside of the floor above. While this method does work in the very short term moisture eventually builds in the crawl space and grows on this highly porous surface.

In moderate or dry climates without the threat of sustained subfreezing temperatures insulation between floor joists makes sense. Unless there are excessive moisture problems in the crawl space use unfaced fiberglass batts to insulate the walls. Floor insulation for moderate climes popular reads. When you re using fiberglass batting insulation material run it about 6 inches or so onto the crawl space floor.