Feeling cold in Chicago is nothing new. But as tough as Chicagoans are, the one place we should look forward to is a nice warm home. If keeping your feet warm over your crawl space requires a double layer of wool socks, then something needs to be done to properly insulate your crawl space!
Last time you checked, the fiberglass was still stuffed into the floor joists and the duct work was wrapped as well. So what gives?
Fiberglass insulation does not work well in crawl space environments.
Home building techniques and materials have vastly improved since way back when fiberglass was invented nearly 90 years ago. Today, thankfully, we can approach insulating your crawl space with high performance products such as closed cell spray foam insulation to stop air infiltration, and reflective wrap insulation to stop radiant heat loss and also act as a vapor barrier.
At Nu-Crawl, we have designed a hybrid insulation system to go onto the foundation and sill boxes, stopping the cold where is starts. Outside air vents are permanently sealed and insulated with spray foam as well. Once the ground is waterproofed and sealed with our Nu-Crawl seamless liner, the cold is stopped at its source all along the foundation and sill box area. No more need for ineffective fiberglass in the ceiling and floor joist.
Nu-Crawl high-performance insulation system at work.
After insulating and stopping cold entering your crawl space, you will need to condition and heat the area. Like a typical basement, the existing HVAC ductwork can be opened up with an adjustable register or two, and forced air supply can be added to warm the crawlspace. Like a mini-basement, the warm dry air will rise upwards and even warm the floors! Energy will not be lost to the cold foundation, and your energy bills will drop.
Best of all, you will have warmer feet and a warmer home!
