Feb 14, 2024 | CrawlSpace
Your Tennessee home’s crawlspace plays a significant role in the health and safety of your family and overall property. If crawlspaces are not properly taken care of, it can lead to pest infestations, foundation damage, poor indoor air quality, and potential health hazards! Luckily, crawlspace encapsulation looks to address these concerns. We break down all you should know about crawlspace encapsulation and how to maintain a healthy crawlspace!
What is CrawlSpace Encapsulation?
Encapsulation is the process of sealing your crawlspace with a barrier to prevent moisture from entering. A crawlspace professional will install this moisture or vapor barrier on the floor and walls of the crawlspace, allowing moisture to stay out to prevent fungi growth and other moisture-related problems.
What Are the Benefits to CrawlSpace Encapsulation?
Along with preventing fungi growth and excessive moisture, there are several benefits to enclosing your crawlspace! Moisture can affect several factors inside your home, Including:
- Energy Savings: Your HVAC unit or furnace runs longer to help maintain the temperature inside, using more electricity, and in return increases your energy bills. A moisture barrier will act as a sealant and ease your HVAC system to make a home more energy efficient and save money!
- Structural Integrity: Home foundations are vital and excess moisture can lead it to wood rot, comprising the structural integrity of your home. Moisture barriers will reduce the amount of moisture to avoid wood rot and protect it overall.
- Better Air Quality: Mold and mildew issues can arise if your crawlspace is in bad condition, creating a health risk to your family and pets. When installed, a moisture barrier will reduce moisture levels and prevent mold and mildew from forming, creating better air quality overall.
- Pest Control: Unsealed crawlspaces are an open invitation for pests and wildlife to enter and search for a place to nest and find a food source. Pests like rodents, roaches, and termites can cause considerable damage and contaminate your home, bringing in health and safety concerns. Enclosing your crawlspace will eliminate entry points for pests to into your home and serve as a good starting point for home pest control.
How Can I Keep a Healthy CrawlSpace?
Enclosing your crawlspace is a great way to avoid moisture, but the care for your crawlspace doesn’t stop there! It’s important to continue taking care of the space even after it’s enclosed. Regularly check for signs of moisture such as dampness or standing water. If you notice moisture buildup, address it as soon as possible. Additionally, consider installing screens over vents or openings in your crawlspace to prevent pests from entering. Remove any debris or clutter you might see, as pests use it to hide. Lastly, schedule regular inspections with your Nashville pest control company to ensure the area is free of pests and other problems.
If you think it’s time to enclose your crawlspace or would like more information on various crawlspace care solutions, call a pest control company near you for a free inspection!
Mar 22, 2023 | CrawlSpace
Macon Pest Control: Moisture Barrier
During the spring and summer months, we all expect Macon’s weather to get extremely hot and humid. These temperatures can have a major effect on our home, creating unwanted moisture in our crawlspaces which can lead to excess water, mold, mildew, pests, and rust. A moisture barrier can be essential to avoiding these elements, as it’s utilized to block vapors and moisture in the soil from entering your crawlspace. Check out the benefits moisture barriers can have on your home below!
Energy Savings
Moisture can have a major impact on the temperatures inside your home. Your HVAC unit or furnace may be running longer to help maintain the temperature inside, using more electricity and, in turn, increasing your electricity bill. When a moisture barrier is installed, it acts as a sealant, controlling moisture levels and easing the strain on your HVAC system. This helps your home become more energy efficient and save money on your energy bills.
Prevents Mold
The ideal environment for mold and mildew growth is an area with high moisture levels. If your crawlspace contains these levels, mold and mildew may be in your air system, which can be detrimental to you and your family’s health. Once a moisture barrier is installed, it reduces the moisture levels, preventing mold and mildew from forming.
Controls Temperatures
Your crawlspace can affect the temperature of your home, making it too hot, cold, stuffy, or even too dry, depending on the weather. The moisture will absorb the warmth from your house or keep escaping, causing your HVAC or furnace to run too long. Once you install a moisture barrier, it will seal those spaces and keep moisture out of your crawlspace to help regulate the temperature inside your home.
Pest Control
Having an unsealed crawlspace is like an invitation to household pests and wildlife creatures! These pests will enter your crawlspace in search of food, water, and shelter, causing severe damage to your home and health in the process. If inside, rodents and other wildlife will chew through wood and electrical wires. While roaches and other insects utilize your crawlspace to gain access to your living areas, a moisture barrier will almost act as a shield, closing off your crawlspace and eliminating entry points for pests to get inside.
The last thing you want to deal with is hot temperatures inside your home during the Macon summers. If you are interested in moisture barriers or crawlspace enclosures, contact your local pest control company for an evaluation.
Mar 7, 2023 | Insulation
Alabama Pest Control: Attic Insulation
The transition from winter to spring can wreak havoc on your home’s energy consumption. Living in Alabama during the early spring gives us cold mornings and hot afternoons. Changing your thermostat to keep you comfortable inside shouldn’t be a daily task. Your attic insulation should be able to properly keep your home either cool or warm depending on the outside temperature. Let’s go over the benefits of getting your home properly insulated.
Benefits to Attic Insulation:
- Lower utility bills: You can save an average of 15 percent on your utility bills by getting better insulation in your attic.
- Safer home structure: Insulation can help prevent gradual damage to your home caused by heat and moisture.
- Better indoor air quality: Poor insulation can allow dust, dirt, mold, and mildew to enter your home.
- Keep pests away: Some insulations are coated with borate, which can affect pests such as roaches, ants, and more by causing a disruption to their stomachs and can also affect their nervous systems. It isn’t harmful to pets or family.
Attic insulation creates pockets that slow heat or cool air from attempting to flow through your home. This will help with uneven temperatures throughout your home. Installing insulation will also help your HVAC system run more efficiently and will help cut down on the times you have to adjust the thermostat, allowing lower energy bills.
If you believe you need to replace your attic’s insulation, consider reaching out to your local Opelika pest control company for a free quote!
Jan 25, 2023 | CrawlSpace
One of the best ways to increase efficiency, prevent moisture growth, and control pests in your crawl space is by completely enclosing it. This can eventually save you up to 18% on your utility bills! Northwest also offers an innovative sealant for your crawl space if you’re not ready to jump on a full encapsulation or if you want extra protection.
Crawl Space Enclosure
There are several benefits to enclosing your crawlspace. The one benefit many look forward to is saving on their energy bill. The moisture in your crawlspace can affect the moisture in your home. It can cause the HVAC unit or furnace to run longer when trying to keep your home warm, which means more electricity usage.
Another great benefit is the prevention of moisture build-up and odor. If left open, high moisture levels can cause moisture growth, posing a health risk to you and your family, and potentially causing an odor throughout your home.
CrawlSpace Seal
If you don’t want to get your crawl space encapsulated or you want extra protection, then this service is a great option for you.
CrawlSpace Seal helps to reduce moisture in the wood that’s located in your crawl space and supports a healthier living environment for your home. This alternative moisture sealant is a perfect complement to our other CrawlSpace Solutions to create additional home protection.
If you think your crawl space is in need of some attention, then give your local CrawlSpace Care company a call to schedule an inspection today!
Dec 14, 2022 | Insulation
We all know that during the summer, attic insulation works as a heat reflector from the sun. But how does it work in the wintertime? If your attic isn’t well insulated, then the rising heat won’t stay inside the home, resulting in major energy loss for your home. Here are some tips when it comes to getting your attic insulated:
Removing Old Insulation
Over time attic insulation can begin to appear damaged. It could be from old age, excess moisture, or a wildlife infestation. If you think your attic’s insulation is not working like it needs to, then your best bet is to invest in replacing it. A good rule of thumb when determining it’s time to replace is noticing insulation that looks out of place, as this can cause your energy bill to spike.
Airtight Seal
Air leaks can make your insulation not as efficient as it needs to be. When insulation is installed, it’s important to ensure your attic is sealed correctly. The tiniest hole will cause your HVAC system to work overtime, causing an increase in your energy bills. The best way to discover any holes in your attic is to inspect them during the daytime when the sun will shine through them. Be sure to mend these holes with caulk to lessen the chance of moisture or critters getting in.
Get an Energy Assessment
A home energy audit can help you detect places other than your attic that need additional insulation. It should be the first step towards getting your home on the right path to maximum energy efficiency.
Need to get your home insulated? Give our team a call and receive a free inspection today!
