How To Insulate A Floor Above A Crawl Space

Insulating during crawl space encapsulation.

How to insulate a floor above a crawl space.

When it s cold the floor areas directly above the crawl space may be cold and even uncomfortable to walk on with bare feet or in just socks. Many homes with crawl space foundations reveal basic signs of poor crawl space insulation. Insulation on the dirt floor may be useful but in tennessee we find this not to be so. You can also insulate the floor of the crawl space and the sub floor of the crawl space if you live in a cold environment.

Stapling fiberglass batts between joists to the underside of your home s floor presents a number of problems. 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. Insulation is to keep heat from moving from one place to another so if the crawl space is heated then the insulation is not needed. If as you say the floor is only dirt covered with a vapor barrier then there would be heat loss there.

Insulation also helps to preserve the air quality and reduce energy costs. Cold air that sweeps through a crawl space meanwhile can lead to cold floors inside the home whether or not the space is wet. Crawl space insulation basics. While this method does work in the very short term moisture eventually builds in the crawl space and grows on this highly porous surface.

Where winter temperatures are extreme opt for insulating the walls and sealing off the crawl space entirely. A crawl space under a house helps protect against certain pests but a crawl space with abundant moisture can invite problems including mold wood rot and vermin. Fiberglass insulation batts or rolls are the most economical and easiest diy choice for insulating between the floor joist in a crawl space. That doesn t mean it s a problem but it isn t needed.

Floor insulation for moderate climes popular reads. Get expert tips and advice on how to insulate a crawl space and the floor above it plus average costs. Department of energy recommends r 11 3 insulation under floors in warm climates and an r 25 6 to 8 in cold climates. 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.