How to Winterize the Crawl Space in a Summer Home

Your summer home needs special maintenace to survive winter.

If you’re lucky enough to own a summer home or cottage, you’ll need to deal with some maintenance to protect your investment while you’re away. One of the most important aspects of maintaining your summer home is winterization. If you do not drain the plumbing at the end of the summer season, you’ll need to winterize the crawl space so pipes do not freeze, and you don’t find excess moisture and mold under your cottage when spring arrives.

Things You'll Need

• Pipe insulation (foil, fiberglass or foam sleeve)
• Duct tape
• Vent screen (if needed)

Instructions

1. Insulate your pipes. Choose from foil, fiberglass or foam sleeve insulation. Foam sleeves are simple to install, but any joints in the sleeves must be sealed with duct tape, or the cold will sneak in. Inspect the insulation before winter each year for damage.

2. Inspect crawl space vents. The exterior vents of your crawl space should be covered with screening material to keep small animals from getting in. Vent screens must be securely attached and free of holes to be effective. Remove any leaves or debris that may be blocking the vent, because blocked vents do not allow air to circulate. Check that the ground around the house does not slope toward the vent and collect water or debris. Keep vents open to allow for air flow; ample ventilation is necessary to avoid moisture, mold and rot in your crawl space.

3. Close the crawl space vents, if necessary. Generally, you should keep your crawl space vents open. Crawl space vents should only be closed during freezing weather and must be opened again when the temperature rises. If you have a caretaker for your summer home, you can request that this be done in your absence, but if your pipes are well-insulated, closing the vents should not be necessary.

4. Monitor drainage around the exterior perimeter of your summer home. In a home with a basement, you’d likely notice if water was creeping in. Since crawl spaces aren’t generally frequented, it’s especially important to keep tabs on water drainage around the perimeter. Check downspouts to be sure they are connected and that water exits the downspouts a few feet from the house. The best defense is to stop unwanted moisture from entering your crawl space in the first place.

Tips & Warnings

• Schedule professional inspections of your crawl space regularly. Unless you’re comfortable with do-it-yourself home projects (or don’t mind dark, cramped areas), leave the task to a professional inspector.

References

• Reliable Remodeler: How to Winterize Crawl Space Vents
• Clever Dude: Insulate Your Crawl Space Properly

Resources

• Hopkins Inspections: Winterizing a Crawlspace