Will an exhaust fan with piping leading out of my house help to get the musty smell out of my basement?

Question

We have a moist basement, with only one window.

I want to put an exhaust fan in my basement, to route the standing air out of the house.

Do you think this will help get the musty smell out?

Any other ideas?

Answer 1

A dehumidifier would work much better. The musty smell will keep coming as fast as you suck it out.

Answer 2

Not at all. The musty smell is being caused by mildew and mold. The first thing you will want to do is make a dilution of water and bleach and start spraying it liberally all over the basement. Do this a few times and then leave box fans going in the basement to dry it out. Then you need to go down and find things like rotten drywall and wood that will only mold again and get it out of there.

Answer 3

There is a lot more dynamics happening than just air movement. A dehumidifier will help. If you have central air, get a heating professional to install warm air ducting and cool air return. You need both. Next, you need to seal the basement floors and walls. Wash the floor ans walls with an astringent like bleah and water. You may have to do this two or three times to kill off the mold and mildew. Remove any materials such as cardboard boxes and wood, or old clothes. These support mold growth.

Paint your walls and floor with a good concrete sealant paint. you may need two coats.

These steps should greatly reduce the smell and health hazzards of mld and mildew!

if you notice moisture on your walls and floor, after you paint, you may have moisture leeching from outside. If this happens, you will need to seal your foundation outside and possibly replace or repair your weeping tile, so keep a close eye on your basement walls and floors for a while. Specially after a hard rain!

Answer 4

Certainly it won't HURT to expell stagnant air, but # 1 & 2 offer as much a valid suggestion. I'd be curious to know how you define MOIST however. Depending on the "DE" unit you get; you might notice its drain pan filling often. Then there is the issue of where to drain it too, or empty the pan often. Obviously a fan will not strictly DRY up the basement.

I'd probably be investigating the cause and try remedies for that as well as lowering the humidity.

Steven Wolf

Answer 5

You need a dehumidifier, and some air freshener. It is a good idea to have a fan running to keep the air moving, but you have to get the dampness out .

Answer 6

We bought a dehumidifier and it works great to keep the musty smell out.

Answer 7

A fan will help ,go with a dehumidafier, as someone said you will have to empty it B/S all units have a conection for garden hose run it to your floor drain It,s eary Spelling n.f.g.

Answer 8

gotta ventilate when the dew point outside is lower than inside. Smartvent is a computerized vent which does so well.costly too.
if you suck in warm humid into cool cellar u will gain humidity

Answer 9

dehumidifier