Im really sorry to hear you are experiencing this.
Our problem persisted strongly for months and it was dreadful.
In the short-term, the company that applied the outside waterproofing brought in ”negative pressure fans” which essentially sucked the air out of the basement and pushed it out the windows. this brought the horrible smell from a 10/10 to a 6/10.
They even dug out the dirt to expose the tar application to air and warm sun. they did this for a month and the smell persisted.
Ultimately after months, the smell never went away. So we told the company they had to remove the product from the foundation. The spent a week or more with hammers and chisels removing the tar. (we have an old fieldstone foundation. but if you have cinderblock or brick, its possible you could pressure wash it)
Once the application was remove- the smell stopped.
We then had an organic product applied- called Safecoat DynoSeal. It had no smell.
During the process I spoke with contractors, the product suppliers and distributors, and other home owners.
My assessment is that these applications are only right for certain homes and situations, that the product quality varies greatly (and so does its ability to cure), and even in a perfect world, I dont believe these applications are ever suggested to be applied in cold temperatures.
The waterproof company installed a Humidex ventilation system in the basement. This greatly improved the situation. At this point I no longer notice any smell, but I imagine what was used has now cured.
Im really sorry to hear you are experiencing this.
Our problem persisted strongly for months and it was dreadful.
In the short-term, the company that applied the outside waterproofing brought in ”negative pressure fans” which essentially sucked the air out of the basement and pushed it out the windows. this brought the horrible smell from a 10/10 to a 6/10.
They even dug out the dirt to expose the tar application to air and warm sun. they did this for a month and the smell persisted.
Ultimately after months, the smell never went away. So we told the company they had to remove the product from the foundation. The spent a week or more with hammers and chisels removing the tar. (we have an old fieldstone foundation. but if you have cinderblock or brick, its possible you could pressure wash it)
Once the application was remove- the smell stopped.
We then had an organic product applied- called Safecoat DynoSeal. It had no smell.
During the process I spoke with contractors, the product suppliers and distributors, and other home owners.
My assessment is that these applications are only right for certain homes and situations, that the product quality varies greatly (and so does its ability to cure), and even in a perfect world, I dont believe these applications are ever suggested to be applied in cold temperatures.
The waterproof company installed a Humidex ventilation system in the basement. This greatly improved the situation. At this point I no longer notice any smell, but I imagine what was used has now cured.