Many homeowners are prepared to invest in their home’s HVAC system. They know a home needs optimal heating, ventilating, and air conditioning for indoor comfort and excellent indoor air quality. However, what many people fail to realize is how much crawl spaces may be causing energy problems in a home.
Signs That a Home May Have a Problem
When a home doesn’t have adequate insulation, its residents are likely to be uncomfortable at best. This will likely cause them to overuse both the air conditioner and heater whenever temperatures go up or down. Also, improperly installed insulation in a crawlspace can be sucking a lot of energy from a home, resulting in wasted energy that is bad for bills and the environment. The following signs may indicate a problem.
Mold – If the presence of mold is seen, smelled, or detected through other methods near the space, that’s a big red flag. If left unchecked, mold can cause more than typical energy problems, including health problems for the whole family.
Pests – If the homeowner spots rodents, rats, roaches, other insects, or pests of any kind in the home, there’s a possibility that the problem is starting with an infested crawl space because of the type of insulation or a lack of it. Dark place can be prime breeding grounds for many types of pests in all seasons. Although the pests may not eat your HVAC system, an HVAC professional would still need to check for pests as part of ensuring things are optimized for your comfort.
Dampness – If the area feels especially damp in certain spots, it’s worth getting a professional to check on the situation. If this is happening regularly or in more than one area, it definitely needs attention. Dampness needs to be cleared out and its source found to prevent mold and other dilemmas that can affect air quality.
Cold Floor – If the floor that’s located right over a crawl space gets extremely hot or cold at times, an HVAC professional needs to check out the system.
Shift in Insulation – When the insulation shifts in an area, the homeowner needs to see what is causing this issue. It could be anything from a natural shift to a warning that there is a serious dilemma within the crawl space.
Wrong Insulation – A common issue is that they are filled with the wrong insulation for the home. For example, fiberglass was often used to insulate crawl spaces in older houses, but after a certain amount of time, it loses its insulating effect. Furthermore, it may change shape.
Maintenance as a Form of Prevention
Homeowners need to carefully maintain heating and air conditioning systems, their home’s insulation, and all crawl spaces to notice and correct small problems along the way. That way, some issues can be stopped before they even start.
Ultimately, homeowners can take heart in the fact that these tucked away spaces need not be the culprit behind energy issues and financial problems. By calling an HVAC professional to help solve these problems, homeowners often spend a little to receive big savings in averted energy problems.