Easily Keep Moisture Out of Your Basement

by Cheryl Dunn

A basement can be difficult to keep dry, and you want to try some moisture prevention tactics if you can smell mould and mildew in the space. Moisture and leaks can cause your foundation to crack and crumble, and they can also cause algae and other problems. You will want to eliminate moisture from accumulating in the space, and prevent it from entering the basement from the outside of the home. Here are a few things you'll want to try right away.

Pipe and Duct Insulation

As hot air travels through the cold ducts in the basement, or hot water travels through cold pipes, condensation occurs. This condensation could be a big enough problem to cause mould and mildew to develop around the space. Putting a foam tubing around the pipes in the basement, and having the ducts sealed and insulated can help prevent this condensation problem from occurring. It can also help with heating and cooling efficiency.

Basement Waterproofing

Waterproofing the basement walls helps stop seeping water from coming through your foundation. It also helps stop water from accumulating on the foundation walls. The waterproofing agent is like a very thick paint. If there is a flood in basement, waterproofing will protect the flooring and the walls. You will want to have professionals like the Australian Waterproofing Company seal every inch of concrete in the space. If you have a crawl space attached to your basement, you'll want to waterproof the walls in there as well.

Add a Dehumidifier

A dehumidifier is going to extract moisture out of your basement, to keep the basement dry. It's especially important to run this machine during the humid summer months, and when you get a lot of rain. There should be a gauge on the dehumidifier that lets you know when the basement is at the proper moisture level, which is about 50 percent.

You don't want to walk into a musty and damp basement, or let all of your items in the basement get mildew and ruined. You might already have a sump pump working to keep water from flooding in the basement, but this isn't enough to keep your basement dry. Have these easy and affordable tasks completed to help the water from developing around your space, and make sure you run a dehumidifier whenever it's needed. A dry basement is going to preserve the foundation of your home, along with all of the different materials, upholstery and other items you have in the space.

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