ᐅ How to Remove Moisture from Your Basement Using Simple Methods
Created on: 13 Nov 2017 10:26
S
SpeckiHello everyone,
About two years ago, I bought a house built in 1964. We have mostly renovated the house ourselves.
One remaining issue is the damp basement.
It seems the basement walls continuously absorb some moisture, but it’s within manageable limits.
The basement has new, airtight windows (the old ones were leaking and partially damaged).
We use the basement as storage for various items, including children's clothes, fabrics, etc.
The basement also has a laundry area with a dryer that has a condensate water container. I’m not sure if it releases much moisture into the surrounding air. Can anyone clarify this? Most of the moisture collects in the condensate container, but since the dryer draws in and expels the surrounding air, I fear it might release some moisture back into the environment. It runs about five times a week.
Now, to the main topic: How do I manage the moisture in the basement?
I have placed humidity sensors in several rooms and aim to keep indoor humidity at a maximum of 60 to 65%.
My approach:
In winter: I open all windows once or twice a week overnight. This is sufficient and easy to do. This way, I maintain humidity between 50% and 65% during winter.
In autumn and spring: Depending on outside temperatures, I open windows about 4 to 7 times a week overnight. This requires quite some effort but still works.
In summer: It gets more problematic. The outside temperature is higher than the basement temperature, so opening windows actually brings more moisture into the basement. Therefore, I use two dehumidifiers in the basement to keep humidity at 60%. They extract about 2–3 liters of water from the air daily.
Unfortunately, this costs about 200€ in electricity each summer.
Does anyone have a better suggestion?
A full renovation is not an option. I had a company give me a quote for a horizontal barrier installation, which would easily cost between 15,000 and 30,000€.
Excavating, waterproofing, and insulating the exterior myself would cost at least 8,000€, and the problem is that one side of the house is adjacent to a paved road, so I can’t access it.
I’d appreciate any good ideas; perhaps someone knows of another solution.
Regards,
Specki
About two years ago, I bought a house built in 1964. We have mostly renovated the house ourselves.
One remaining issue is the damp basement.
It seems the basement walls continuously absorb some moisture, but it’s within manageable limits.
The basement has new, airtight windows (the old ones were leaking and partially damaged).
We use the basement as storage for various items, including children's clothes, fabrics, etc.
The basement also has a laundry area with a dryer that has a condensate water container. I’m not sure if it releases much moisture into the surrounding air. Can anyone clarify this? Most of the moisture collects in the condensate container, but since the dryer draws in and expels the surrounding air, I fear it might release some moisture back into the environment. It runs about five times a week.
Now, to the main topic: How do I manage the moisture in the basement?
I have placed humidity sensors in several rooms and aim to keep indoor humidity at a maximum of 60 to 65%.
My approach:
In winter: I open all windows once or twice a week overnight. This is sufficient and easy to do. This way, I maintain humidity between 50% and 65% during winter.
In autumn and spring: Depending on outside temperatures, I open windows about 4 to 7 times a week overnight. This requires quite some effort but still works.
In summer: It gets more problematic. The outside temperature is higher than the basement temperature, so opening windows actually brings more moisture into the basement. Therefore, I use two dehumidifiers in the basement to keep humidity at 60%. They extract about 2–3 liters of water from the air daily.
Unfortunately, this costs about 200€ in electricity each summer.
Does anyone have a better suggestion?
A full renovation is not an option. I had a company give me a quote for a horizontal barrier installation, which would easily cost between 15,000 and 30,000€.
Excavating, waterproofing, and insulating the exterior myself would cost at least 8,000€, and the problem is that one side of the house is adjacent to a paved road, so I can’t access it.
I’d appreciate any good ideas; perhaps someone knows of another solution.
Regards,
Specki
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