Attention people with basements - help!

[nikki]

We just became new home owners 2 months ago ( :thumb: ) and we have a 1,400 sq ft basement. Eventually we have plans to finish the basement, but for now we have the washer/dryer down there, Red's workclothes, gear, a small living room area, and some storage.

My question is how do you reduce the moisture in a basement so you can safely store stuff down there to keep away from mildew/mold? I have been told we should get a dehumidifier (is any particular type good for basements?) but what else can you do? If the concrete walls were painted, would it help? If we left the two A/C/heat ducts open down there would it help? Etc...

Thanks for any help - the DRN bunch is the greatest ;) (now I better get some replies to this) :confused:

 

[XRpredator]

Get that Drylock stuff (UGL?), which is a really thick paint-like goo that you put on the concrete of the walls. It'll seal out the moisture and helps fill any cracks. Other than that, your local home improvement place should be able to tell you what dehumidifier would be best.

Also, you might want to make sure you don't store any stuff on the floor, just in case ;)

 

[oldguy]

nikki did you build or is it new construction? If so it will take at least 4 or 5 months to get the moisture out of the concrete, block walls, and wood. The best way to go is a dehumidifier drained straight into a floor drain. 2nd best is 5 gallons of VP pour it evenly on the entire floor and light from outside- everything will be pretty dry in a few minutes. Of course then the fire dept will get there and soak it all down again

 

[Trail Boss]

Nikki

My basement is finished – moisture proof paint, insulation, sheetrock, the whole nine yards and it still gets very humid and has a mildew problem. Moisture from the outdoors will be drawn into your basement every time you open your door.
I recently did some research and based on the recommendation of Consumer reports magazine I decided on a home depot dehumidifier – I think the brand is called Hampton bay. My basement is no where near the size of yours, I bought one of their large models. Because of the size of your basement you might need to go with 2 of the larger models to prevent one from running constantly.

You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll notice the drop in humidity.
Like oldguy said if you can drain them directly it will save the hassle of emptying the water tray every couple of days.

I'll try and send you a copy their report .

 

[Tony Eeds]

Nikki -- All of the above are good suggestions (other than the VP).

You didn't mention if the walls are poured concrete or concrete masonry units. CMU are significantly more porous. Painting the inside face of the walls will help, as well as the dehumidifiers; but most important is drainage around your house.

Make sure that the soil around the house drains away from the house as a least a 1:12 slope for at least 8 feet around the house and that the general drainage pattern is away from the house. If you have land higher than the house on one side the surface draingage should be routed around the house using the above specs.

Also use grass and ground cover adjacent to your foundation rather than planting beds. Additionally collect all of your roof drainage with downspouts and gutters and discharge in areas with positive drainage away from your house.

I know that some of the above sounds complicated and no doubt many of the features are already incorporated into your house, but many builders often slip on the final details.

Tony

PS -- If water infiltration becomes a big problem (hopfully not), you might consider adding a french drain system outside the walls.

 

[nikki]

Wow.... lots of great advice! Thanks everyone!

Dave - it is new construction so maybe it will be a little better after some time with a dehumidifier. And yes, we will be able to drain the humidifier directly into a drain.

We'll look into the wall paint. Tony - I'm not 100% but I believe they are poured concrete but they are pretty pourous.

Tony, thanks for the outside advice. We just got a few loads of dirt and do have the sides of the house built up much higher and sloped off. The drainage pattern is pretty good in most spots and away from the house.

Is there any good treatment for the concrete floor? (Other than the VP tip, Dave :confused: )

 

[mx547]

wow, your basement is bigger than my house. not alot of basements here (okla.). the water table is too high.

 

[mackay]

If you can afford it put in an air exchanger and it could service your whole home upstairs and down...as for the dehumidifier, try to hook it into a drain so you dont have to empty the water every other day or so

 

[Tony Eeds]

Nikki - Check out http://www.concretestain.com/index.asp
They have quite a few products and solutions for concrete floors.

 

[WaltCMoto]

First off, congratulations.
I would hold off on finishing the walls with studs and drywall for a year or so. If the walls settle and or crack, it will ussually happen the first year. Also concrete takes a long time to dry. Be patiant and let the dehumidifier do its job. If you keep important stuff down there, keep it off the ground with shelves.