Normal household activities like cooking, showering, bathing, doing laundry, and dishwashing add water vapor into your homes environment. Also, moisture can enter your basement from the surrounding soil via a crawl space or a wet, leaky basement.
A lot of folks use dehumidifiers to reduce symptoms of humidity and odor. However, a dehumidifier isn’t a permanent or complete solution. There is a chance that a dehumidifier could cause more damage. When you dry the basement air, moisture is drawn into the basement more rapidly which can cause efflorescence and spalling of concrete.
The recommended approach, according to the University of Minnesota, is to remove interior moisture sources that can be removed and make sure washers, dryers, and bathrooms are properly vented to the outdoors.
You may also want to evaluate the gutters, downspouts, and surface grading around the house. Once all that is done and, if your moisture problem persists, installing a sub-slab soil exhaust system may be in order, especially if you want to finish your basement.
It’s important to note that basement waterproofing systems are generally not designed to deal with humidity or dampness. They’re installed to remove water from inside your concrete blocks and under your basement slab.
Standard Water Controls basement waterproofing system is tailor made for a sub-slab soil exhaust system. Our system is closed which is ideal for allowing the subslab soil exhaust system to create negative pressure that draws out moisture, odors, and soil gases. Also, we drill holes in each and every block cavity which can aid in controlling moisture.
Once the basement is waterproofed, a system that reduces moisture and humidity can work more efficiently and you’ll be happier with the results. An active sub-slab soil exhaust system draws moist air from underneath the slab and may help to reduce the amount of moisture that enters your home through openings in the slab. As a bonus, it also assists in controlling soil gases.
First our crews connect a pipe to the draintile system. We then run it up through the rim joist, the garage, and the attic roof; installing fire collars as prescribed by code. The continuous run fan is then installed in the attic. The fan is very quiet and designed for years of worry free service. It’s very efficient. In fact, it’s much cheaper to run than a dehumidifier and much quieter.
Contact us today for more information and a free estimate.