For homes built on top of crawlspaces an average of 40% of the air you are breathing inside the home comes from that crawlspace. If you’ve ever taken a peek into the dusty crawlspace or basement in your home, you’ll see that the last place you want to breathe air from every time your relaxing at home is the crawlspace.
So what would the ideal crawlspace? The first step would be making it dry. Here are some of ways to do this :
- Improving drainage to ensure that any water moves away from the house.
- Digging trench drains on the inside of crawlspace.
- Fixing plumbing leaks in the crawlspace.
- Installing a vapor barrier.
- Installing a sump pump, if necessary.
- Installing crawlspace exhaust ventilation, if necessary.
Premier eco builders has a variety of advanced diagnostic tools to measure and commission the systems we install. When you decide to hire us you get the benefit of all of the systems we have already installed and tested.
A dry crawlspace is a good start for every home, but another good way to improve indoor air quality is to reduce the source of poor quality air that moves from the crawlspace into the house. Whenever someone goes into a crawlspace then usually start to cough and will promptly put a dust mask on. That happens because the dirt floor is uncovered and the top layer of dirt is easily disturbed, resulting in a lot of suspended dust particles in the air. The other particles are fiberglass particles from poorly installed fiberglass batts that are falling apart. To top it all off there’s usually a lot of rodent droppings in the space. If you experience respiratory problems and live in a house that has a space like what I am describing we can help reduce the source of poor quality air coming from your crawlspace.
We can do that in the following ways:
- We start by cleaning up the space, removing all the debris from the space.
- We cover the dirt floor with a clean, durable white vapor barrier that cuts the dust and relative humidity in the space.
- We determine the right amount of ventilation for the space based on the big picture for the entire house as a system. (For some spaces that means a sealed crawlspace and for others that means a mechanically vented space)
- We air seal all the pathways for air to move from the crawlspace into the living space, including framing joints, plumbing, mechanical, and electric joints. We can also ensure that if there is ductwork in the crawlspace that they are airtight as well.
- We can assess if soil gasses such as radon are an issue and if they are we are licensed to design and mitigate radon.
- We can assess if your heating/cooling system is pressurizing the space to force air into your house and correct it.
The final step for making the perfect crawlspace would be to make it truly efficient. Many of the systems that are in the crawlspace were put there when your house was first built. Oftentimes duct systems and plumbing systems are a mix of patched together pieces and repairs that are 20-50 years old. Many of these systems weren’t well designed to begin with and many are past their useful lifespan. Take for instance your plumbing pipes, have you ever wondered why it takes so long to get hot water to your sink, and you have to run so much cold water down the drain while you wait for hot water? In most homes with crawlspaces we can reduce water waste and get the water to you fast. How fast? How does less than 10 seconds and less than two cups of water waste sound to you? Some of the integrated services that we offer:
- Crawlspace insulation systems that are much more effective than conventional fiberglass batts.
- HVAC redesign, and installations.
A Perfect Crawlspace is one that you wouldn’t be afraid to go in, one that if you crawled through it you would come out clean, one where the systems in it would contribute positively to the health and well-being of the occupants in the house.
Crawlspace Exhaust Fan
We then install a quiet exhaust fan in the crawlspace to efficiently ventilate the crawlspace. This prevents condensation water issues in your home.