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Does this look like mold issues, what can be done?

9 years ago

Our (parents) house is over 100 years, part with dirt floor, stone foundation and the like. It has a strong damp/musty smell. They are trying to run (portable) dehumidifiers but it's still close to 70%

Does it look like (could be) mold issues in these pictures?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/126695439@N04/

And what can be done practically (haven't been able to convince a new house :p). Talking about spray foaming the foundation walls..would that be effective or worse?

Here is a link that might be useful: basement pictures

This post was edited by sprdave on Tue, Sep 2, 14 at 17:49

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Comments (3)

lazy_gardens
9 years ago
Nothing you do on the inside can fix it ... spray foaming would just trap moisture between foam and foundation.

Instead of running humidifiers, install a vent fan and move air out of the basement, exchanging it for fresh outside air.

You have to start outside the house, with proper drainage and waterproofing the exterior of the foundation.

Often over the decades the slope of the area changes and water seeps down into the foundation and basement area.

Start with slopes headed towards house - fix that.

Google for "fixing a wet basement" and see what applies to your house. Often improving drainage around the house is all it takes, sometimes you need to dig down and waterproof the exterior of the foundation.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
9 years ago
Having gutters that move water away from the foundation often helps also.

I can't currently see the photos, but in our old dirt-floored basement, we put down a layer of plastic and poured a concrete floor. A sump pump in the cellar and a French drain outside to intercept inflow (from a layer of clay) took us from about 3 gallons a minute in spring and wet all year to a level where a dehumidifier keeps things under control.

If you use the option for adding a link in a followup rather that the current format, it may help others view the photos.
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sprdave
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the quick replies.
-that's what Im afraid of is just trapping issues with foam or whatever. But I haven't been able to get them to do anything drastic about it (and probably wouldn't be worth it IMO short of demolish - I would have done that awhile ago but they just wanted to fix [dump money] it).

They've come up with these ideas of covering the floor with rubber mats, foaming the walls, etc to keep moisture out but Im not sure I like that. And getting a 'commercial' dehumidifier.

They did try an exhaust fan but didn't seem to do good, was bringing in warmer/moister air from outside into a cooler basement and was more damp. Some days better than others depending on outside conditions. The air exchanger is drawing out of the basement though.

Ive tried telling them about drainage but got shot down...'we're not digging up the basement'. Im afraid of it affecting our health, the smell is upstairs (not as strong).

I added the pictures to the link URL, hopefully that helps, let me know. I don't do much pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: basement pictures

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