Re: Re: Basement air problem

[Guest guest]

Personally, I had that choice when we put ours in and I decided to

wait until Ive really scoured our basement.

Its relatively dry, but its dusty and previous residents did not

dehumidify like we do so its dusty in places..

Humidity presents a problem in summer .. I think that one option would

be to have a very low flow connection to HRV (2 inch, maybe?) with

one-way dampers and adjustable flow rate.. with a humidistat set to

shut off the flow when humidity went over say 60% outside..and turn on

dehumidifier in basement whenever basement humidity exceeded 50%

On Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 10:06 AM, barb1283 <barb1283@...> wrote:

> If basement air is not sealed off from house yet, do you think I can

> use an HRV. Advantage are that it will exchange air in basement

> without negatively pressurizing it???

[Guest guest]

Barb, yes, you definitely need to do everything you can to close up

those holes in your floor.

Your house sounds very rustic with the old floor planks, etc, and

those old wood floors

can be very, very nice when done right, but I would consult with some pros about

how you might block the holes properly.. and your bulding inspector because

you dont want to do anything that isn't code-compliant.

Thats always a good idea, otherwise, you could be in for a surprise

if you ever try to sell your house.

I know that newer houses have lots of regulations about floors, the

kind of wood that is used

in both the floor and subfloor, distance between and size of joists,

even kind of nailing done, etc.

If you simply have a layer of planks between two floors, that might be

okay, if it hasn't been changed since the 19th century,

it remains legal.. I think..but those planks

probably need to be a certain size and thickness now and also other

things I am sure have changed that kick in if you do any work..

If you undertake any significant work,

you may trigger a need for a permit and then you could run into

problems with newer codes..

It wouldn't hurt to check..

If you put a ceiling on the floor below, keep the differences in

temperature and humidity in mind.

Cold and or damp basement vs warm and or more or less humid living

space on ground floor seems like

you will need to consider a wide range of possible scenarios..vapor wise..

Your best bet might be buildingscience.com for info.. have you looked

at their site?

Its good..

> On Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 10:06 AM, barb1283 <barb1283@...> wrote:

>> If basement air is not sealed off from house yet, do you think I can

>> use an HRV. Advantage are that it will exchange air in basement

>> without negatively pressurizing it???

[Guest guest]

Barb,

If you have standing water, especially in a basement, its not safe for

YOU until that

leaking is stopped.

Building codes are notorious for not knowing anything about mold safety.

If you can't permanently eliminate that water, and any seepage,

which may involve spending a lot of money, you should, for now at least,

convert your basement

into a crawlspace - in other words, put it outside your building envelope.

That means not connecting it to your home ventilation wise, and insulating

and sealing between your home and it.

If its damp, until thats addressed, it should be " outside " of your home.

Foam is flammable.. Thats always a major thing to consider..

If i were you, I would consult with your building inspector.

They know you might not be able to afford a lot,

they don't know about mold but they can keep you legal..

On Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 4:23 PM, barb1283 <barb1283@...> wrote:

> As for floor, it isn't even two floors. It is one row of wood plants

> over joists. You see the bottom of floor on top of the joists in the

> basement.

[Guest guest]

You might try asking a gardener where you could buying a few

truckloads of some very tight dense soil, (or even clay?)

and building up a layer of it it around your house close to the walls,

so that there is a pronounced outward slope to the ground for at least

six or more feet away from your home (as far as you can manage it with

all the dirt or clay soil - the quality is irrelevant, you can apply)

Then lay sheets of plastic on top of that earth, stake it down..so it

doesn't move, somehow, and then put another few inches of topsoil, or

perhaps, gravel, on top of that.. Then you have a water barrier..

Water shouldn't be able to do down into the earth until its a good

distance away from the home..

Also, make sure that any gutterspouts empty quite a distance away..

They sell gutter extensions, or you can make your own out of gutter

material.. Don't be shy about making them 10-12 feet long.. its fine

as long as they slope down.