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3 dehumidifiers? Yeah, major red flag. We have only one in our basement and a couple of small fans. My husband has a workshop in the basement and needs it pretty much bone dry there. Our basement is pretty dry.
MOST basements will have a musty smell if they're below ground or partially below ground. But, it shouldn't take 3 dehumidifiers and a bunch of fans to remove the mustiness.
We also have a radon fan that runs most of the day since we do have higher Radon than normal (but not at the health hazard levels). I would think when they do our radon test for the house they would so so with the Radon fan running but with everything else shut off.
3 dehumidifiers? Yeah, major red flag. We have only one in our basement and a couple of small fans. My husband has a workshop in the basement and needs it pretty much bone dry there. Our basement is pretty dry.
MOST basements will have a musty smell if they're below ground or partially below ground. But, it shouldn't take 3 dehumidifiers and a bunch of fans to remove the mustiness.
We also have a radon fan that runs most of the day since we do have higher Radon than normal (but not at the health hazard levels). I would think when they do our radon test for the house they would so so with the Radon fan running but with everything else shut off.
I know.. so we have another moisture inspection scheduled.. fingers crossed.. btw - what is a radon fan ? where can I buy one? TIA
I know.. so we have another moisture inspection scheduled.. fingers crossed.. btw - what is a radon fan ? where can I buy one? TIA
a "Radon fan" is a fan.
Radon is everywhere in the Piedmont. It blows around outside, it's in your house. Some unlucky houses seem to have higher concentrations of radon gas in the soils beneath their homes and the home can "trap" the gas as it is emitted and in those cases there is higher radon.
All that is needed to remediate radon is a little fresh air... some mixing. Bada-bing. Seriously... think about it. You can't even run a small fan when you do a radon test... and why not? Because it seriously reduces concentration! A small fan! That's it! Worried you have radon? Turn on a fan, lol.
Radon is everywhere in the Piedmont. It blows around outside, it's in your house. Some unlucky houses seem to have higher concentrations of radon gas in the soils beneath their homes and the home can "trap" the gas as it is emitted and in those cases there is higher radon.
All that is needed to remediate radon is a little fresh air... some mixing. Bada-bing. Seriously... think about it. You can't even run a small fan when you do a radon test... and why not? Because it seriously reduces concentration! A small fan! That's it! Worried you have radon? Turn on a fan, lol.
Thanks for the details.. just a fan doing the trick !
Radon is everywhere in the Piedmont. It blows around outside, it's in your house. Some unlucky houses seem to have higher concentrations of radon gas in the soils beneath their homes and the home can "trap" the gas as it is emitted and in those cases there is higher radon.
All that is needed to remediate radon is a little fresh air... some mixing. Bada-bing. Seriously... think about it. You can't even run a small fan when you do a radon test... and why not? Because it seriously reduces concentration! A small fan! That's it! Worried you have radon? Turn on a fan, lol.
^ ^ ^ yep. Run a fan, folks!
Basements in this region are almost without exception going to have some sort of humidity issue. I, personally, do not find it odd that someone would have a dehumidifier going in each separate room in a basement, especially a full basement, as that is a lot of air to run through a dehumidifier and most specify the number of square feet (cubits or whatever the heck the measurement is!) for air exchange and effective management of humidity.
So if the seller has a dehumidifier in each room of the basement, and the rooms are all 12x12 or larger, then that seems reasonable to me.
Not saying there aren't real water problems in this particular basement! There could be run off issues, foundation issues . . . who knows. But typically, in this part of the country, it is not unusual to have to make some allowances to ensure a "dry" basement, even with no structural problems or actual leaks.
Just wanted to throw that out . . . I think you are very wise to have a professional assess the situation. A basement can be a really handy addition to living space. As Rosie said, you just don't want to get into a situation with mold and mildew in walls and/or insulation . . . continual "hidden" water seepage, etc. These issues can cause dangerous health problems.
Basements in this region are almost without exception going to have some sort of humidity issue. I, personally, do not find it odd that someone would have a dehumidifier going in each separate room in a basement, especially a full basement, as that is a lot of air to run through a dehumidifier
I agree actually. Plus I think part of the issue is that today's homes are so air-tight for energy efficiency that moisture gets trapped. My parents have one dehumidifier in their 30x20 basement, and although it helps, the one machine cannot handle all the moisture.
We have a walk-out basement, and we really should have at least two dehumidifiers. One basement space that's dry as a bone is a separate workshop that has old windows that allow air flow. But the garages and family room are more air-tight and we have to open doors to allow air flow to help keep the moisture level down.
At this time of year it's worse than at other times. The summer humidity plus all that rain we got earlier put so much moisture into the soil and the foundation.
However, that's not to say that the OP's situation is not a concern. It could very well be not normal moisture levels, and further testing was a wise choice.
Basements in this region are almost without exception going to have some sort of humidity issue. I, personally, do not find it odd that someone would have a dehumidifier going in each separate room in a basement, especially a full basement, as that is a lot of air to run through a dehumidifier and most specify the number of square feet (cubits or whatever the heck the measurement is!) for air exchange and effective management of humidity.
So if the seller has a dehumidifier in each room of the basement, and the rooms are all 12x12 or larger, then that seems reasonable to me.
Not saying there aren't real water problems in this particular basement! There could be run off issues, foundation issues . . . who knows. But typically, in this part of the country, it is not unusual to have to make some allowances to ensure a "dry" basement, even with no structural problems or actual leaks.
Just wanted to throw that out . . . I think you are very wise to have a professional assess the situation. A basement can be a really handy addition to living space. As Rosie said, you just don't want to get into a situation with mold and mildew in walls and/or insulation . . . continual "hidden" water seepage, etc. These issues can cause dangerous health problems.
Good luck!
Thanks .. we like the house and as u said the basement is completly finished and adding nice living space so hopign that the inspection reports r not damaging !
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