Radiant barriers also help keep your home warmer during winter, but works to a lesser degree than in the summer. Having two vapor barriers in the same assembly isn’t a good idea, and this article explains in more detail why not: Perforated Radiant Barrier Foil versus Solid/Vapor Barrier Radiant Barrier Foil.A radiant barrier is a form of reflective insulation that is usually installed in an attic to help reduce energy costs by keeping your home cooling in hot conditions. plastic sheeting on the ground or some other waterproofing layer) then you should utilize the perforated AtticFoil™ Radiant Barrier foil for the installation. See some photos of radiant barrier in a crawlspace here. If you do not already have a vapor barrier in the crawlspace, then you should choose the AtticFoil™ SOLID Vapor Barrier Radiant Barrier product to get the double benefit of blocking moisture and retaining heat in the flooring. For more information about other foil products, see our article on False R-value claims of Bubble Foil and Fiberglass Foil products. You will get the best return on your investment if you buy the radiant barrier and the traditional insulation separately and then combine them yourself. Products like foil-fiberglass and bubble foil aren’t really best used in this application, since you need R-value and reflectivity. You can use foam board, spray foam or traditional batt insulation and a single layer of radiant barrier foil. Ideally this works best when there is an air gap between the existing insulation in between the joists and the radiant barrier, but if there is not an air space there, it will still work since there will be an air space between the foil and the ground.īecause the application is below a conditioned space, you want to utilize both radiant barrier and traditional insulation. The simplest way to do it is to staple the radiant barrier foil across the bottom of the floor joists, creating a single reflective layer. If you are using a radiant barrier to help retain heat in the floor above the crawlspace, installation is simple. As an alternative, we recommend using radiant barrier technology to achieve similar results. However, sealing a crawlspace can be labor-intensive and costly. Doing this has many benefits, including controlling the humidity/moisture and the temperature of the crawlspace. To address this, we have seen the introduction of sealed crawlspaces and crawlspaces that utilize a vapor barrier in order to stop moisture from the ground from coming up into the home.Īs a first option we recommend sealing the crawlspace and making it semi conditioned space. Introducing warm air to a cool environment (or vice versa) creates the conditions necessary for condensation, which is typically the root of the problem in a damp, moldy crawlspace. While it is true that ventilation helps moisture dry out, it’s been found that in this environment this is not always the best practice. In the past it was common to build homes with ventilated crawlspaces, because it was thought that outside air would help control moisture problems in a crawlspace. When installed with the proper air gap, AtticFoil™ Radiant Barrier will stop 97% of radiant heat loss from the floor above the crawlspace.Ĭonverting Vented Crawlspaces to Sealed Crawlspaces If you do not have a vapor barrier in the crawlspace and it is open to the earth below, you can use AtticFoil™ Radiant Barrier Vapor Barrier to stop moisture and help retain heat in the floor above.ĪtticFoil™ is tear-proof, so adding it to a crawlspace can help with critter control. You would use AtticFoil™ Radiant Barrier in crawlspaces to help protect against heat loss from the floor above into the crawlspace.
That being said, using a radiant barrier foil in a crawlspace is beneficial if you are losing heat in the wintertime through the floor of the house into this crawlspace if the heat is radiating across the air gap from the flooring to the ground outside, then AtticFoil™ can help reduce that heat loss. Other than heat retention, there really is no added benefit to using a radiant barrier in a space that does not have a regular source of radiant heat. Using AtticFoil™ radiant barrier in a crawlspace Radiant Heat Flooring – Over Conditioned Spaces.Radiant Heat Flooring – Over Non-Conditioned Spaces.Cathedral Ceilings – Hot/Mixed Climates.
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