Cold floors over crawl spaces are an insulation and air sealing failure that costs you money every single month. Luckily, you just have to address the crawl space beneath the floor, and the cold goes away. With the right insulation for the crawl space and a sealing approach, you can solve this problem permanently.
ENERGY STAR reports that homeowners can save about 15% on cooling and heating costs upon sealing their houses. In Virginia and North Carolina, winters can be so cold that any savings you make will show up directly on your utility bill every month.
Unfortunately, cold floors don’t make savings easy. If you’re a homeowner, you’ve likely experienced cold floors in winter. One of the causes of this inconvenience is the crawl space beneath your floors. At BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair, we can help you solve exactly this problem if you live across the Hampton Roads, VA, and NC region.
Why Are the Floors Above Your Crawl Space So Cold?
Cold floors over your crawl space happen because the space beneath your home is essentially open to outdoor air. Several factors cause the issue, including poor vents or insulation.
The Stack Effect
Warm air in your home rises. As it escapes through the upper levels of your house, it pulls cold air in from below through the crawl space.
This is called the stack effect. It’s one of the primary drivers of cold floors in homes with vented or poorly sealed crawl spaces.
Failed or Missing Insulation
Older homes often have fiberglass batt insulation stapled between floor joists. Over time, this insulation sags, gets wet, and loses its effectiveness.
Open or Unmanaged Crawl Space Vents
Traditional building codes required crawl space vents. Unfortunately, these vents often do more harm than good. Instead of drying the crawl space, they pull in cold, humid air that creates both moisture problems and cold floors in crawl spaces.
How Bad Is Your Cold Floor Problem?
You can measure the severity of your problem with an inexpensive infrared thermometer. Here is what the gap tells you:
- 5 to 8°F below thermostat: Mild problem
- 8 to 12°F below thermostat: Moderate problem
- 12 to 15°F or more below thermostat: Severe problem
A room reading 70°F at the thermostat can have a floor surface temperature of just 55 to 60°F when the crawl space is uncontrolled. That difference will make you uncomfortable and waste your money.
What Are the Best Fixes for Cold Floors Over a Crawl Space?
According to Patch, winter temperatures in Virginia have increased by roughly 3 to 4 degrees since 1980. If you’re living in these areas, you’re probably dreading the cold floors that come with it. There are several ways you can fix a cold floor over the crawl space, such as vent sealing and encapsulation.
Seal Crawl Space Vents
The first step in most crawl space improvement projects is to seal crawl space vents. This feature prevents cold outdoor air from entering the crawl space. As a result, you get more control over the environment beneath your home.
Install or Replace Crawl Space Insulation
Proper insulation for a crawl space application depends on whether you are encapsulating or leaving the crawl space vented. If you get expert technicians to work on yours, it’s far more effective at eliminating cold floors over crawl spaces than traditional batt insulation.
Crawl Space Encapsulation
Encapsulation involves lining the crawl space floor and walls with a heavy-duty vapor barrier, sealing all vents, and often adding a dehumidifier to control moisture. Encapsulated crawl spaces will consistently outperform vented ones for severe cold floor issues.
Air Seal the Rim Joist
The rim joist is one of the most significant air leakage points in any home with a crawl space. Sealing it with rigid foam and spray foam eliminates a major pathway for cold air to enter your living space.
Over time, it helps prevent floor drafts that travel up from below. The Department of Energy reports that your home’s energy savings may be between 5% to 30% after you reduce drafts.
Improve Floor Heating Options
For homes where crawl space work alone doesn’t fully resolve the issue, you can improve floor heating through radiant floor systems. Also, you can use upgraded subfloor insulation boards to supplement the crawl space improvements. You should only consider this after addressing the crawl space first to save money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Doesn’t Turning Up the Thermostat Fix Cold Floors Over Crawl Spaces?
Turning up the thermostat warms the air in your home. However, it does nothing to address the cold surface directly beneath your feet.
Your floor temperature is driven by what is happening in the crawl space below. Don’t focus on the air temperature in the room above. When you increase the thermostat setting to compensate for cold floors, you’re paying more to heat the air while the uncontrolled crawl space continues to drain that heat away.
What Should I Document Before Calling a Professional?
Coming to your consultation with documentation saves time and helps your contractor give you a more accurate assessment. Before you call, gather the following information:
- Floor surface temperature readings
- Photos of your crawl space
- Any history of moisture from below
- The age of your home
This gives a professional crawl space contractor a clear starting point and helps them prioritize the right solutions for energy-efficient flooring.
How Much Warmer Will My Floors Get After Crawl Space Improvements?
You can expect an increase of 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter months. The actual rise is dependent on the starting condition. Houses with severely degraded batts or no insulation at all see the greatest improvement.
Work With Qualified Crawl Space & Foundation Repair Experts
Cold floors over crawl spaces make your home so uncomfortable. As a result, your winter becomes unbearable unless you call in the experts.
BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair has a team of professionals with more than 150 years of combined trade experience dedicated exclusively to crawl space and foundation issues. We have a depth of specialization that general contractors and handymen simply cannot match.
Contact us today for your assessment and find out exactly what is happening beneath your floors.
