What are the pros of a crawl space barrier?

If you're interested in preventing mold growth, preserving your home's piping system, keeping rodents out of your crawl space, and saving money on your energy bill, then installing a crawl space vapor barrier is essential. Saturn Resource Management explains, "Every crawl space should have a ground moisture barrier installed over the bare soil. A lot of moisture travels from the ground into the air, even in crawl spaces that appear to be dry. Bare ground can also allow soil gasses such as radon, petroleum vapors, or fertilizer residues to enter the home. If you find bare ground in your crawl space, you should install a ground moisture barrier."

The pros of a crawl space barrier include preventing your crawl space's ventilation openings carrying humid air during summer months that condenses and settles on the cool pipes, walls, and even subflooring. More pros of a crawl space barrier include saving money on energy by moderating the amount of time your furnace has to run; outside air infiltration will be kept at a minimum, which means your HVAC system doesn't need to operate quite as hard; and allergens, mold spores, and other irritants will have more difficulty making their way into your ventilation system, helping ensure the air in your home is as clean as possible.

More pros of a crawl space barrier include:

• Preventing mold growth and musty odors. One of the more common problems with crawl spaces that do not have a crawl space vapor barrier system is that they create high moisture levels, which may result in mold growth - as dampness creates the ideal environment for mold growth. One of the pros of a crawl space barrier means you will greatly reduce the moisture levels, preventing mold and foul odors from growing and forming.
  
  
• Having control of the temperature in rooms. When moisture is in your crawl space, it affects the temperature in your house, making it either too hot, too cold, too stuffy, or too dry. This happens because the moisture in your crawl space absorbs al the warmth from your house ... or it keeps it from escaping. A pro of a crawl space barrier is that it seals those spaces, keeping your house at the temperature you decide to set.
  
  
• Saving on energy. Because high moisture levels in crawl spaces affects the temperature inside your home, a crawl space vapor barrier system will act as a sealant by controlling the moisture levels, making your home more energy-efficient and lowering your energy costs. Another way to look at it is that moisture making its way into your home makes it very cold, requiring the homeowner to spend more money on energy by installing room heaters. Electricity bills rise steeply because more electricity is being used to keep the heating appliances working. One of the pros of a crawl space barrier is that you'll keep your energy costs down.

• Protecting your floors. If damp soil is on the floor of your crawl space, moisture will rise to the first floor of your home, whereas the pros of a crawl space barrier system means that your floors are kept at comfortable temperatures in both the winter and the summer.
  
  
• Protecting your crawl space pipes. One of the pros of a crawl space barrier system is that it can help prevent your crawl space pipes from bursting. Your crawl space most likely houses a variety of pipes that supply the water and power to your home. If moisture infiltrates these areas and gets to your pipes, it's likely that they'll start rotting, which can lead to your pipers bursting or breaking. Installing a crawl space vapor barrier system keeps your pipes dry, thus increasing their lifespan - which means fewer repair costs to have to worry about.
  
  
• Protecting your crawl space against pests🐭. Vermin, like rats, termites, and snakes, are attracted to damp crawl spaces for the moisture and the darkness. One of the pros of a crawl space barrier is that it prevents pests from being attracted to the crawl space.
  
  

Need a professional to install your crawl space vapor barrier system?

If your crawl space is experiencing wood rot, sagging or wet insulation, termite damage, hardwood floors "cupping," visible mold growth, or condensation on the duct work, it might be time to install a crawl space vapor barrier system.

AdvantaClean crawl space service experts can diagnose your crawl space moisture issues and crawl space mold issues by properly identifying, recommending and implementing corrective actions. Our crawl space ventilation and mold specialists can perform professional mold remediation in conjunction with addressing the moisture source - from simple repairs to comprehensive vapor barriers, crawl space ventilation systems and crawl space dehumidifier installations.

More info? For more information about common places for moisture in your home, check out our related post: Crawlspace Moisture Problems.