Formulas For A Warmer Floor
A leaky foundation creates a mess and wastes money but can be solved through this guide, including slab-on-grade, crawlspace and basement foundations, ventilation.
September/October 1988
By the Mother Earth News editors
Leaky foundation got you on your toes?
Then it's probably wasting money too.
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THOUGH IT'S ONLY A CALCULATED GUESS, one Department of Energy report estimates that, nationwide, residential households consume 12 quadrillion (a dozen followed by 15 zeros) Btu of energy in the course of a year. About one-tenth of that is lost through floors to the crawlspace or earth below. A second study indicates that if just the foundations of these houses were insulated properly (and nearly 95% are not), the conservation in energy could amount to one-half quadrillion Btu annually. Cost savings? Roughly $5 billion per year.
Viewed as a whole, the figures are staggering. But taken per house-your house-- they're a lot simpler to understand. To begin with, it's become clear that insulating below the living area is cost-effective-that is, any expenditures will pay for themselves in energy savings over a reasonable period of time. Though this is more apparent in new construction, a home that's been lived in for years has plenty of payback potential in it if the retrofitting is done sensibly.
What's more, the very act of upgrading insulation aboveground-where most homeowners start-throws a burden of accountability on the structure beneath their feet: An uninsulated foundation wastes only 10% of a leaky building's heat. That percentage can easily quadruple once the house is buttoned up tight.
Such economic concerns are only part of the story. A correctly insulated foundation can be the solution to existing-or impending - moisture (and maybe even structural) problems, a deterrent to termites and other wood-destroying insects and an impediment to radon infiltration of the living area.
Consider, too, that a well-sealed structure is logically a more comfortable one-and in the case of homes with basements, one in which a normally damp area can become a practical living space with only a moderate investment.
That's the bright side of the coin. In contrast, approaching below-floor weatherization hell-for-leather style, throwing money and fiberglass at the problem with the assumption that more is better, can-and has-created other concerns.
Because foundation improvement has traditionally dealt with structural aspects rather than thermal loss, it's no surprise that curbing heat flow in that area was handled the same way as stopping loss in any other part of the house. In the worst cases, this has altered conditions enough to produce significant condensation-with subsequent deterioration problems.
It's only been in the past few years that experts in a variety of fields have been able to establish some solid foundation guidelines for designers and builders. In some cases, the
new rules require a modification of existing construction techniques; in others, they may come into conflict with local code and will have to be judged on an individual basis. Fortunately, code officials and policymakers are aware that technology is changing and are working with researchers toward that end.
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