Cold Crawl Spaces and Freezing Pipes in Michigan and Indiana Homes

This winter has been especially hard on homeowners across Michigan and Indiana. Extended cold snaps, strong winds, and fluctuating temperatures have pushed many homes beyond what their crawl spaces were designed to handle. One of the most common and costly issues we see during these conditions is frozen pipes, especially in homes with vented or uninsulated crawl spaces.

When cold air is allowed to circulate beneath your home, it doesn’t just make floors uncomfortable. It also puts plumbing at serious risk.

How Cold Crawl Spaces Lead to Frozen Pipes

Many older homes were built with vented crawl spaces, under the assumption that air circulation would help control moisture. In cold Midwest winters, those vents often do more harm than good.

When freezing outdoor air enters the crawl space:

• Pipes located beneath the home are exposed to sustained cold temperatures
• Water inside those pipes can freeze, expand, and cause the pipe to crack or burst
• Cold air rises into living spaces, leading to cold floors and drafty rooms

Once a pipe freezes, damage can happen quickly. Even after the ice thaws, hidden leaks can lead to water damage, mold growth, and expensive repairs.

Helping Homeowners Protect Their Pipes and Comfort

Kalamazoo, Michigan homeowners recently decided to make their home their forever home. As part of that commitment, they invested in several upgrades, including windows, their kitchen, the garage, and eventually, their crawl space.

During winter, they noticed their floors were consistently cold and were concerned about how the crawl space might affect the rest of the home. They also wanted to ensure clean, healthy air was circulating throughout their living spaces, knowing that air from the crawl space naturally moves upward.

By addressing the crawl space, they could protect their plumbing from freezing while also improving comfort and air quality throughout the home.

A Warm, Protected Crawl Space Solution

After evaluating the crawl space, our team designed a solution focused on preventing frozen pipes, controlling moisture, and improving overall comfort.

To protect the space, we installed:

• CleanSpace, a crawl space encapsulation system that seals out cold air and ground moisture
• Drainage matting, to manage any moisture beneath the liner
• Rim joist insulation, which helps prevent cold air infiltration where the foundation meets the home

With the crawl space sealed and insulated, the pipes beneath the home were better protected from freezing temperatures, floors became noticeably warmer, and the home was more comfortable throughout the winter.

Crawl Space Solutions Built for Midwest Winters

Frozen pipes are often a symptom of a larger crawl space issue. Sealing and insulating the crawl space can help protect plumbing, improve energy efficiency, and make living spaces more comfortable during Michigan and Indiana winters.

If you’ve dealt with frozen pipes, cold floors, or winter drafts, a professional crawl space evaluation can help identify what’s happening beneath your home and what solutions make sense long term.