Will Insulating the Ducts in my Crawl Space Cause My Water Pipes to Freeze?

Do you have a crawl space under your home?  Does the heat from your furnace travel through ducts located under the house, inside the crawl space?  Do you also have water pipes located under your home in your crawl space?

If the answer to those questions is yes, then you may have several challenges to consider.  Is your crawlspace vented and allowing cold winter air to flow beneath your home?  Are your heating bills higher than you would like them to be?  Do you have any cold floors in the rooms above the crawl space?  Is your home drafty?

Crawl Space Encapsulation May Help

In handling these challenges, one step is to encapsulate your crawl space.  This includes: 

• Establishing a vapor barrier on the floor and walls
• Insulating the floor and walls
• Air sealing to keep cold winter air out of the crawlspace
• Air sealing and insulating the rim joist
• Covering vents and accesses 

Once the crawl space is properly encapsulated, the winter temperature inside the crawl space will be higher than it was previously.  This means much less risk of frozen water pipes.  

Where Does the Heat in the Crawl Space Come From? 

The heat in the crawl space comes from the home, to include the ductwork.  As heat flows through the duct work under the house, some of the heat is lost though air leaks in the ductwork itself.  If the duct work is not insulated, heat will be also conducted though the sheet metal and lost by convection to the crawl space air.  Other building components such as the floor of the rooms above the crawl space will similarly lose heat to the crawl space.

The best option is to air seal and insulate the ductwork to stop the loss of heated air.  This will allow the furnace to work properly, circulating heated air in and out of each room of the home as it was intended to do.

With the ductwork air sealed and insulated, the remainder of the building components will lose plenty of heat into the encapsulated crawlspace to maintain temperatures well above freezing.  In fact, the temperature will also be well above what it was previously.

The encapsulated crawl space together with the air sealed and insulated ducts will result in lower heating bills, warmer floors, less draftiness, and better circulation of warm, clean air throughout your home.  Plus one bonus.  Your water pipes won’t freeze!

Contact us today to schedule a free estimate for duct insulation and sealing, and crawl space encapsulation! We also provide a home energy audit to identify all energy and comfort issues within your home and the proper solutions.