Homeowners in Falls Church, VA gave us a call at Comfenergy because they needed crawl space insulation and were experiencing uneven temperatures in their home. Millions of homes were built with vented dirt crawl spaces, including this one, but now we know that vented crawl spaces are not beneficial. The vents allow outside air and moisture into the crawl space and up through the house. Our Sales Professional, Jon, found mold in the crawl space and the insulation was dirty and falling down in the crawl space ceiling. In the attic, he found that the existing insulation was insufficient, old, and needed to be replaced. The scuttle hole and the opening around the chimney are not insulated, allowing substantial air leakage. All of these things were contributing to a drafty, uncomfortable home that was harder to heat and cool.
Solution
To fix this uneven climate control our production team started by removing all of the old insulation in the attic and then air-sealed the attic floor. We sealed the chimney chase with metal flashing, and fire caulk, and wrapped it with wool boards. Next, we air-sealed and insulated the attic scuttle cover and blew in TruSoft cellulose insulation. Moving on to the crawl space, our team removed the moldy, damaged insulation and started placing our CleanSpace Encapsulation System. We installed drainage matting, TerraBlock floor insulation, and 2" SilverGlo insulation on the walls. The rim joists were spray foam as well. Now this entire home is more comfortable year-round.
This lovely home in Falls Church, VA needed an insulation upgrade, both in the attic and the crawl space.
The old existing insulation in the attic.
This insulation was old, dirty, and needed to be replaced.
The insulation in the crawl space was falling down from the ceiling and also needed to be replaced.
Our Sales Professional found mold in the crawl space.
This is a dirt floor vented crawl space. Vented crawl spaces will raise humidity levels to uncontrollable levels. This moisture encourages fungi and mold to grow.
The Comfenergy Production Crew removes all of the old insulation out of the attic.
Air Sealing begins once the insulation is out. All accessible gaps and cracks are sealed.
By air sealing the attic, many major air leaks can be prevented. This helps to maintain the desired temperature throughout the home.
More air sealing in the attic.
The insulation in the crawl space is removed and properly disposed of. It's not a pleasant job- especially if you are afraid of spiders.
Dimple matting is installed right over the top of the dirt floor in the crawlspace.
TerraBlock floor insulation is installed directly overtop of the dimple matting.
The last step for the crawl space floor is our CleanSpace liner.
SilverGlo is installed on the crawl space walls and the rim joists are sprayed with spray foam.
This crawl space is looking much better and will make this home much more energy-efficient.
Fully encapsulated crawl space.
Back up in the attic, decking is built around the attic scuttle to keep the insulation in place.
The chimney is sealed with metal flashing, fire caulk, and Rockwool insulation.
The crew gets ready to blow in insulation.
TruSoft cellulose insulation is blown into an R-value of 49.
Beautifully insulated attic. Here you can see the chimney chase too.
Perfectly encapsulated crawl space. Now, this home will stay much more comfortable and the homeowners will save money on their energy bills too!
