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My rented house of about 200 years of age poorly taken care of, has a dirt floor in the basement, with stone walls.
there is a musty smell, with fall and winter comeing the furnace brings that smell up into the house. Is there something that I can do to get rid of this smell short of remodeling the basement?
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Joseph Fusco
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*Ms Snack (neat name)Well you could start by sealing the dirt floor with some 6mil poly or similar product, lapped up, and sealed onto the fndtn walls with all joints sealed. If, however your stone walls are not parged and waterproofed on the exterior, then they too need to be dealt with to stop moisture from migrating in. If that is the case, the very least that must be done is install/repair the gutters and downpipes, and slope the run off away from the fndtn.Unless you have a continuous source of new moisture into the basement your furnace should eventually dry it out, and the musty smell should disappear. Also, if your return air ducts in the basement are properly sealed they shouldn't be drawing the damp musty air into the system.-pm
*Kathy:AS Patrick said: <<Also, if your return air ducts in thebasement are properly sealed they shouldn't be drawing the damp musty air into the system.>>If this how the smell is being brought into the house itself (return air being pulled from the basement) there is also some health/Carbon monoxide risk.If the furnace is pulling its return air from the basement, it could be depressurizing the basement sufficiently to prevent propoer drafting of the flue gasses out thru the chimney. This, in turn can lead to CO poisoning.I don't want to unduly scare you: In an old leaky house, the odds aren't too high, but be sure to have your furnace serviced AND be sure the service person uses a draft guage to check drafting of the furnace and hot water heater.(I recommend finding a service person who is a Building Performance Institute certified "Carbon Monoxide Analyst" - they'll have an ID card. Call around.)Bob Walker
*Good day people. A question for the masonry inclined. My wife and I live in an 1885 Queen Anne in RI. The foundation and basement are unique, they are a mixture of stone and brick. It extends below the frost line by a solid two feet and extends above grade about six and half feet making the total height between ten and eleven feet. All the basement walls are parged brick with a white chalky coating from floor to the ceiling. I do not know if iti is paint or "what." Some of the brick is spalling as well as the coating. I am curious if anyone out there knows what the coating might be and how to stop it from chalking?
*question: I am trying to locate fabricators of dual glazedwindow panes to install in some wooden sash I am making;particularly interested in sources in Northern California.
*Hey guys - multiple posts for multiple questions, OK?i Is there something that I can do to get rid of this smell short of remodeling the basement? Probably not. Most of the suggestions above involve some sort of remodeling work. Plastic exposed in the basement with open flames (furnace, hot water heater) can be a fire hazard. You could try some of the dry crystal bags with moisture absorbents, but these have a limited ability to address a really musty smell. You could also have your ducts cleaned, but if the basement is confirmed as the source of the smell it's probably a waste of time.i anyone out there knows what the coating might be Whitewash? If so it's lime-based and it's supposed to chalk. You'll have to remove it (very messy) to change over to a more solid coating (UGL) or paint. 1880's brick (orangey color, right?) is notoriously soft and can be expected to spall as described under moist conditions.Jeff
*b WBA At Your ServiceCulver, Try your local yellow pages. A quality local glass shop, especially one that deals with commercial glass, can make almost anything you want. Generally, the insulated glass panels are fabricated by specialty shops and ordered through your local supplier. They should be able to supply you with various glass and spacer combinations and even Low-E coated glass. The only thing you will have a tough time getting is glazing with suspended films, like the ones used in Hurd windows.Tim
*Would it help to dig up the bodies?
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My rented house of about 200 years of age poorly taken care of, has a dirt floor in the basement, with stone walls.
there is a musty smell, with fall and winter comeing the furnace brings that smell up into the house. Is there something that I can do to get rid of this smell short of remodeling the basement?