Issues with damp/cold basement [Split from new home thread.] - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Jayems · 08-13-2010, 12:25 PM

Here's something that's come up...

my basement is perpetually cold and damp while the rest of my house is really hot.

Now I assume it's because of all the rain, coupled with the fact that i'm in a construction zone and there's not much for sloping and I can't install any underground weeping tile or whatever...

But seriously, my hockey equipment NEVER dries. It's gross. How can I make my basement less damp? A space heater and de-humidifier aren't really in the budget right now. And I can't leave the basement window open all the time because it needs to be closed to activate the alarm.

I've opened windows during the day, started leaving the door to upstairs open, turned off the furnace's humidifier... any other suggestions?

(there is no water leaking into the basement that I've found, FWIW).

yads · 08-13-2010, 12:28 PM

You can get a used space heater on on Kijiji starting at $20.

Jayems · 08-13-2010, 12:34 PM

What type of fire hazard is leaving a space heater on? And would it be able to affect an entire basement?

Komskies · 08-13-2010, 12:45 PM

It should have a noticeable effect. It uses electric heat, which can dry the air out in a hurry.

Jayems · 08-13-2010, 12:47 PM

The only issue is I don't want to leave a heater on 24/7.

yads · 08-13-2010, 12:50 PM

If you can find an oil filled radiator heater the fire risk is pretty minimal. You shouldn't have to run it 24/7, you can get some that have a timer. See what's available.

You Need a Thneed · 08-13-2010, 12:51 PM

leaving an electric heater on 24/7 will add considerably to your electric bill.

close some of the furnace ducts in the other parts of the house so that more of the furnace air gets blown into your basement.

Komskies · 08-13-2010, 12:51 PM

Maybe you want to look at a baseboard heater then... but I can't offer any valuable insight into that.

Azure · 08-13-2010, 03:21 PM

Tear the floor out and put floor heat in. Supplement with baseboard heaters.

ken0042 · 08-13-2010, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yads

You can get a used space heater on on Kijiji starting at $20.

Depending on what you are looking for, new ones aren't that much more. Call me paranoid, but that isn't something I would buy used.

When I renovated the basement I installed one of these heaters. That way whoever is in the basement can adjust the heat, and unlike a baseboard heater it has a fan to help warm a bigger space and circulate the air.

Pinner · 08-13-2010, 03:32 PM

Sounds like an unfinished basement without a vapor barrier/insulation. ?

Could you build a room around the furnace and hot water tank? Even in the summer the hot water tank should make enough heat to keep a small room dry.

Jayems · 08-13-2010, 03:33 PM

It is unfinished, but has a vapor barrier and insulation.

I could build a room, but I'm pretty sure it would collapse and kill someone (most likely me during the construction of said room). I am, as they say, not a handy man.

Sluggo · 08-13-2010, 03:35 PM

On the bright side you don't need to spend money on a beer fridge.

GoinAllTheWay · 08-13-2010, 04:15 PM

In the summer your furnace probably isn't firing up all that much, if at all. Short term solution but you can always run the fan on your furnace and open some windows on the ground lvl. That should suck all the cold/damp air out of your basement and re-circulate through your house and out the open windows.

Methanolic · 08-13-2010, 05:12 PM

^ That is exactly what I was going to suggest. The furnace fan running is no great cost and in theory should exchange the air in the entire home (obviously depending on the size) in a matter of minutes.

...Also, Check what your humidifier is set at. In the Summer, I clean mine and turn the dial right down and even shut off the water supply as it's just not needed in my little shack.

Jayems · 08-13-2010, 05:13 PM

I've used the exhaust fan quite a bit in an attempt to cool my upstairs but have never done it with the basement door open... I'll give that a shot. Open windows we're trying to avoid because my street is literally a dust bowl and opening the window would probably cause headaches considering we have a 3 week old baby in the house and the amount of cleaning that would be required to remove the dirt would be amazing. The amount of dust that already gets in is hard enough to clean.

jar_e · 08-13-2010, 05:31 PM

Jayems I have a space heater (oil filled) you can borrow.

Jayems · 08-13-2010, 05:33 PM

Sweet. Check your txt message.

ken0042 · 08-13-2010, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayems

I've used the exhaust fan quite a bit in an attempt to cool my upstairs but have never done it with the basement door open...

Just to be clear- people have been suggesting turning on the furnace fan and not an exhaust fan. There will either be a "light switch" near your thermostat, or the thermostat will have a fan switch that reads "On/Auto." Most of the time it is on Auto, switch it to On.

Jayems · 08-13-2010, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

Just to be clear- people have been suggesting turning on the furnace fan and not an exhaust fan. There will either be a "light switch" near your thermostat, or the thermostat will have a fan switch that reads "On/Auto." Most of the time it is on Auto, switch it to On.

ah, ok. I thought it was the same thing.