3 Ways a Crawlspace Makeover Improves Air Quality In Your Home
Second in a 4 part series in How Crawlspace Makeovers Beat Water and Clean Your Home’s Air
Once a home's crawlspace is updated by Healthy Spaces, air quality throughout the home improves. Here's how:
Airspace Problem: Bad Crawlspace Air Seeps into the Home
The reason air in an untreated crawlspace or basement smells bad is because it is. It probably contains mold spores. That air seeps into your home in different ways:
- Stack effect – when air escapes from the upper parts of a home, new air must replace it. That new air is sucked from the ground up, so that crawlspace air makes its way into the home. As much as half the air in the first floor of a home originated from the crawlspace. The air is sucked up through the house by way of floor boards, access hatches, in addition to wire and pipe holes.
- Air ducts – leaky ducts make this problem worse. Those leaks pull crawlspace air into the home. Further, if the crawlspace is damp, those ducts are most likely damp. This increases the likelihood of bad air being pulled into the home and also increases utility bills. (Damp ducts require more effort of both furnaces and air conditioners to run well.)
Solution to Stop the Air Leakage:
- CleanSpace Liners – Healthy Spaces uses CleanSpace Liners to cover crawlspace walls and flooring with an attractive white lining so the space becomes usable. CleanSpace is a strong 20 mil thick plastic (much thicker than the popular 6 mil plastic others use) with 2 layers of cord reinforcement. Its antimicrobial additive prevents mold and bacteria growth.
- Liner and Sump Doubleteam the Water – With the liner on top and sump pump below, any water that seeps leaves the home.
- SmartDrain – to anticipate potential leaks, a SmartDrain is installed in case a plumbing leak happens.
Now the leaks are fixed, and the crawlspace air is isolated from the home.
Next week – how sealing vents and outside air improves air quality.
