Did You Know That?

20+ Interesting Crawl Space Facts

by Tim Wilkerson

  • Insulating the crawl space floor joist does little good (cold air is sucked right up through it – due to what the US E.P.A. has coined “The Stack Effect”).

  • A 1,000 sq. ft. dirt/stone crawl space can let in up to 15 gallons of water in the form of water vapor each day.

  • The world health organization blames crawl spaces for a myriad of health problems.

  • There are three modes of heat transfer: conduction, convection and radiation (radiant heat).

  • Radiant heat transfer is the primary mode of heat loss in your home.

  • Gold, silver and aluminum reflect radiant heat.

  • Aluminum foil has been used throughout Europe to reduce Energy Cost for decades.

  • Excessive moisture can cause serious structural damage to your home’s Foundation.

  • Mold can cause illnesses in humans ranging form headaches and fatigue to brain damage and death.

  • Moisture always moves from wet to dry.

  • Heat transfer always occurs from hot to cold.

  • Mold is not harmful unless its spores become air borne.

  • Mold cannot grow/reproduce/release its spores into the air if humidity levels are bellow 50%, or there is sufficient moisture at its food source, such as wet wood.

  • Mold needs moisture, food (organic material) and oxygen to survive.

  • That musty odor you smell is the gases that molds release into the air as they feed and grow – not the mold spores, a common misconception.

  • Like mold, dust mites need moisture to survive.

  • Dust mites do not drink water; they absorb it form the air.

  • An 8 in. thick concrete foundation wall has less than 1-R. value (almost no insulating value).

  • Warm air holds more moisture than cold air.

  • The dew point is equal to the temperature at which air can no longer hold its moisture, thus condensation or water droplets are formed (i.e. sweating pipes in a damp crawl space).

  • Radon gas is the number two cause of lung cancer – second only to smoking.

  • As much as 50% of the air you breath in your home comes from your crawl space.