I have an old house with a mostly dirt floor in the basement and a stone foundation. In the spring the basement generally has water in it for a short time. There are two small windows in north and east-facing walls. There is the potential for a south-facing window. The house is in New Hampshire.
My question: Is is best to open the windows during the summer to get air through the basement, or is air from outdoors likely to cause more moisture to build up as a result of outdoor humidity?
Replies
I tried an experiment on my house to see whta kept my basement the driest.
First I opened the door from the garage to the basement, an propped it open. Then I opened a couple of windows to get plenty of airflow. What I got was water dripping off the water pipes and AC ducts all the time. (I also watched the humidity, but don't recall what the readings were)
Second thing I tried was shutting all the doors and windows for a week, but opening one vent in the AC ducts. This ended my dripping water and lowered the humidity level.
The dirt floor ain't helping you any. Getting ground water away from the foundation will likely help some.
Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?
Thanks, Boss Hog. Maybe I should try an experiment, too. I don't think there is much I can do about the dirt floor. It's all crawl space, and actually, higher than the paved floor where furnace, etc, are, so stays dry.
So, what do you think was going on with the AC duct opening. Did it make any difference, or could you have closed down everything? I assume you keep the one duct open all summer now?
Tamsin10
I figure the AC duct was circulating a bit of dehumiified air through the basement, and that's what helped keep it drier. Yes, I do keep one duct open all the time now.
Actually, it was some of the discussion here about moisture that prompted me to try it. Hang around a while, and you'll learn a lot of stuff.
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