Dehumidification as the name implies refers to the removal of moisture from the air. A damp basement is caused by condensation, water leakage in cracks and concrete seepage, placing carpets in the basement floor. Trapped moisture can destroys padding, adhesives and flooring and can lead to additional repair expenses. In solving damp basement issues, the following can be employed:
- Air Condition: this removes 50% of the humidity present.
- Air to Air Exchange: this removes humid air from the basement, drawing in fresh air from the outside. It does this by reducing the energy loss in air conditioned or heated air. It is a costly but good solution to air tight homes.
- Basement Sealing: this method is the least expensive method. It simply refers to sealing concrete walls, cracks and openings.
- Use of Dehumidifiers: a dehumidifier is an electrical appliance which is used for the reduction and maintenance of humidity levels in the air, for health or comfort, for the elimination of musty odor and prevention of mild dew. Dehumidifiers generally evacuate the surrounding air and treat it before it is depleted into the fenced in area. They are used for household, commercial and industrial applications. There are four ways in which dehumidifiers can work.
I. Air Compression: in this technique, the supreme dampness substance of the air is diminished, making a soaked condition at the lifted weight. At the point when this high weight air grows, it will bring about a lower dew point at the lower weight because of the expansion in genuine volume. This procedure is fairly like the way an air blower works. Water traps and after coolers evacuate the consolidated water. This strategy, in any case, is definitely not a practical technique for dehumidification inside the mechanical commercial center, because of the measure of air treated.
II. Fluid Sorption: in this technique for dehumidification, air is gone through showers of fluid sorbent, for example, lithium chloride, or glycol arrangement. At the point when the sorbent is in its dynamic state, it has a vapor weight which is underneath that of the air that is being dehumidified, and this empowers it to ingest dampness from the air stream. The sorbent must be persistently recovered, and this is finished by utilizing warmth to drive off the ingested dampness.
III. Strong Sorption: in this technique, granular beds or settled desiccant structures are utilized as a part of programmed machines through which the air is passed. The desiccant is reactivated by warm, to drive off the already sorbent dampness to an open air stream.
IV. Condensation Based Dehumidification: in this write, the air is chilled beneath its dew guide, causing dampness toward shape as buildup on the void surface of the cooling loop and thus expels water from the air.
Strong sorption dehumidification and condensation based dehumidification writes are the dehumidification composes that are relevant in the erosion control and item assurance businesses.
In the event that you don’t approach a dehumidifier because of money imperatives, you can in any case dehumidify your storm cellar via doing the accompanying straightforward systems:
• Improve the airflow in your basement: you can employ the use of a fan to remove dampness, because moving the air reduces the water vapor. Use a window fan if your basement has a window, and also keep the windows open when there is less moisture.
• Absorb the Moisture: desiccants help remove moisture from the air with calcium chloride. Hence, you can leave desiccant containers in the basement. Make sure you check the containers once every week to remove the water collected in them.
• Dry the Air: by heating the room, the humidity is reduced (except when heating with gas). Fans can also be used while warming the basement to ensure better results.
Further Dehumidification Tips
Humidity in the basement starts with controlling air infiltration from outside. Basement humidity is largely caused by humid outdoor air. The biggest entry path of humid air into homes includes thin gaps, band joints and sills, clothe dryers, windows, doors.
A good way to start dehumidifying your basement is to foam seal the band joints and sill. After foam sealing these, it is right to test any combustion appliances for back drifting while running the clothes dryer, exhaust fans, air handles, anywhere in your house. The doors and windows must be shut tight during this test.
After this, the ground moisture permeation path slabs and walls can be treated with concrete sealers. Sealing, however will not be necessary if you have a slab-depressurization radon system.
Before you finish off the walls of your basement, it is advisable to put up semi-permeable rigid foam insulation against the foundation under any fibre insulation. This can be either extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene bead board , or fibre faced polyisocyanurate. The foil facers trap ground moisture in the insulation, and may end up rotting out the foundation sill.
High permeability paints should be used on the gypsum as this prevents mold from forming in the furring strips/studs. Also avoid vinyl or foil wallpapers as they cause worse havoc on the furring.