About 1/3 of the basement is a crawl space but the rest was supposedly finished. I have landscaped so that the water does not come in when it rains- the humidity is just +++. The walls had only cheap styrofoam insulation between the studs which were placed on with the 4" side against the wall. There was NO vapour barrier at all. If we insulate properly with the proper studding and put on a vapour barrier will this help with our humidity problem? Is there something else we should do? We have an air exchanger that runs well but when it is hot and humid outside the drywall in the basement is actually wet to touch. Should we put a sealer on the inside walls before we stud and insulate or is this not worth anything? We live in Ontario, Canada so our winters can be quite severe and the basement is cold. We also live fairly close to a river so the water table is quite high. Any suggestions from you handypeoples would be much appreciated. Thanks Loads.
2007-07-10 10:46:33 · 8 answers · asked by june.johnston 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
You need to determine where the water is coming from. If the water table is real high it may be coming through the floor and lower parts of the walls.
Does the crawl space have a vapor barrier over the soil? If not your high water table is pumping a lot of moisture right into the air through the soil. It will condense on the cool concrete walls and floor of the basement.
Does your house have a drain tile installed that either drains into a sump pump or daylight on a hill? If so the drain tile needs to be inspected for clogging.
I live real close to a big river as you do and the water table is 2' below my basement floor. I had to tear out the slab and install a drainage system. When it rains or we irrigate I pump a lot of water out of the ground. You should look into a drainage system if you don't already have one.
Once the moisture issue is resolved if you wish to refinish the basement have the walls spray foamed. It will provide a very duable vapor barrier and insulate very well.
You can also use a dehumidifier, though once the air dries out it will just start pulling more moisture from the concrete walls and floor.
The reason the basement was finished with styrene insulation is because of the humidity level. Whoever finished it knew what they were doing. Using fiberglass with a standard vapor barrier is just asking for trouble. Moisture coming in through the walls will be trapped in the insulation.
2007-07-10 13:22:25 · answer #1 · answered by mike b 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Does your basement have a sump pump? It sounds as though water is coming in through the walls or up from the floor and getting the drywall wet. Wet drywall is dangerous as it can harbor black mold which can affect your health. You may have to excavate around the foundation and put in drain tile leading to a sump. Sloping the ground away from the foundation as you've already done helps when it rains, but not if you have a high water table. We're in the same situation as our house was built in a former swampy area between several lakes and a creek. Our sump runs a lot keeping the crawl space dry and the lower level of the tri-level from getting musty.
2007-07-10 10:56:00 · answer #2 · answered by Jane D 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Paint the wall, foundation that is with drylock great paint that prevents any moisture from getting through. then redo them instead of styrofoam use the foil covered insulation. for an additional barrier (not that you will need it but also has higher R value) Run a dehumidifier or get a small coal/wood stove for the basement
2007-07-10 11:37:28 · answer #3 · answered by Pengy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Very nice question! 1. Murder/Rape 2. Sexism & The Body Image Girls Look Up To 3. Government - (Immigration, President, War, Economy) 4. Out of Control Children 5. Drugs 6. Pollution/Global Warming I have no idea how to fix them. I just wish all the parents in the world would care about their children, and I wish drugs were only made possible in medicine and every medication had to have a prescription. I wish people would stop burning garbage and see the cloud-like billows of smoke they're sending in the air. I wish people would fess up to global warming, and that the parents would actually care enough about their kids to prevent them from dying from it in the future. I wish everything was perfect. Don't we all?
2016-05-18 22:46:19 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We're also in south-eastern Ontario, have central air conditioning and an air handler / exchanger. The house is built to R2000 standards (in 1993) and we still need a dehumidifier in our basement. We asked our home inspector when we saw the previous owners had one, and he said it is good to have a dehumidifier in a basement to 'help out' the air exchanger.
Can't help with other problems you mention I'm afraid...
2007-07-10 10:56:44 · answer #5 · answered by mama_bears_den 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Add a vapor barrier !Make sure you tape over both top and bottom sills.The vapor barrier goes on AFTER you put in the insulation.
2007-07-10 11:04:44 · answer #6 · answered by ca.alert 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
what temperature is your basement compared to your upsairs? a change in temperature will cause humidity to increase. I guessing that this is whats happening. add a space heater/ or more ducts to keep the basement the same temp as the upstairs.
2014-08-29 08:29:04 · answer #7 · answered by rex r 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Use this on the concrete before you cover it back up with any moisture barrier..it wil keep it out
http://www.radonseal.com/radonseal-mitigation.htm
2007-07-11 08:50:16 · answer #8 · answered by pcbeachrat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋