Ventilation Advice?
Oops– it’s me again. I forgot to check “allow comments” when posting, so I didn’t get any responses to my questions. We’ve got a below-ground basement that’s very humid, but not wet (and no mold). The engineer says it needs a dehumidifier, but we’re wondering if it needs ventilation, too. Has anybody had similar problems?…
Oops– it’s me again. I forgot to check “allow comments” when posting, so I didn’t get any responses to my questions.
We’ve got a below-ground basement that’s very humid, but not wet (and no mold). The engineer says it needs a dehumidifier, but we’re wondering if it needs ventilation, too. Has anybody had similar problems? (Oh– one last question: any flooring recommendations for damp basements? Wood and tile are out, I would imagine.)
Thanks!
I would start with ventilation and see if that does the trick.
As for flooring, you have to be vary careful when you try to stop water infiltration because by blocking it at one point you creat more water presure somewhere else. So the problem with laying down a cement floor is that the water will find somewhere else to go, (the path of least resistence) in this case it will start leaching up your brick walls. You may have to lay down a plastic corrugated barrier, that will keep your finished floor dry while still allowing your subfloor to breath. Dealing with water infiltration is never an easy answer and it is worth carefully investigating the various solutions and the ramifications of these solutions before starting.
My basement gets damp when it rains heavily, as the coal shute back doors are flush with the ground and leak at times. (it’s on the list) I bought a de-humidifier at PC Richards, and it is great, I can’t believe the difference it makes. I use my basement as a workroom, and I need it to be as dry as possible, anyway. The person I bought the house from had a cement floor poured, and that works really well, except they didn’t install a drain, which I’m going to have to do at some point. The drain would also help get rid of the moisture, if it is in the right place. I don’t know if any more ventilation would be necessary. I try to open the back doors in the summer as much as possible just to get some fresh air down there, too.