Moisture issue in basement! what can i do?

[ferraris]

Good timing to be talking about moisture in basements today! Surprisingly I had almost nothing in my basement; the equivalent of spilling a single cup of water. Cleaning out the gutters really does wonders.

[Mr. Mon]

Originally Posted by XRiteMA98

I have my own Frank Lloyd Wright basement too
I had a guy whose business card I got at the Home Improvement show @ the Convention Center come in and look at it. He offered to drill inside the basement and the garage along the walls and install french drain. He also asked 6000+ for it (six thousand, you read well).
So I said no, because it seemed too high.
So I painted the back wall with drylock - the kind they use in the Zoo's aquarium or so I was told. You know, when you go through that thing where above you see the fishes and such. I was told they have moisture problems too and this is what they use.
So, I apply that every other year, and I'm fine.

That's fine if your basement/foundation is made of cement block, but you should never put drylock on sandstone. It can trap the moisture in the stone causing it to expand and ultimately weaken. I've spoken to engineers and architects about the issue of moisture in my old basement - it actually peculates up through the slab during massive rains - and the consensus has been to keep items on shelves and use a dehumidifier.

[XRiteMA98]

Yes, Mr. Mon, it is made of cement blocks and it works well.
I can;t believe that collecting rain water can be illegal. Is this true?

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by XRiteMA98

Yes, Mr. Mon, it is made of cement blocks and it works well.
I can;t believe that collecting rain water can be illegal. Is this true?

Somewhere in the back of my swiss-cheese like mind, I seem to remember hearing about this being the case in some very dry climates where they need the rain to flow into aquifers, etc.

[Bong477]

Originally Posted by Hopes

We got one with a hose that we could run towards the drain. It died after a few months. That was years ago. We decided we didn't need one because there's no mustiness, mold or mildew. Maybe a better quality one would have lasted longer. What brand and model did you buy?

Amazon.com: DeLonghi DD50P 50 Pt. Energy Star Dehumidifier with Patented Pump: Home & Kitchen

Run it most days during the warmer/humid months, leave it off during the colder/drier ones. This will be the third year I've been using it.

[Pitts10yrs]

Check you gutters durring a heavy rain and see if you are getting a waterfall. Even if the gutters are free flowing, cleaned out, they may not be sufficient.

Get a dehumidifier, and timer. Dont let run 24/7 but a few hours a day is sufficient. You can track how much time you need but collecting the water. Durring the spring and fall when there is more rain I sometimes put mine on all day.

They are right, painting or sealing the walls can be a problem. As water collects behind the wall it will freeze, expand, and push on the wall. The freeze-thaw cycle can put stress on the wall, along with the wall slowly degrading.

I drilled some holes in the base of my wall and you can literally see the water draining out. Better it drains then collects behind the wall.

French drains are a good idea. Sometimes it hard to get a digger back in those places and you have to dig by hand. Make sure the drains are flowing far from the house.