Owners of private houses should have an idea how to dry the basement when the humidity level rises.
To the appearance of dampness in the cellar can cause different reasons: flood, groundwater penetration, the appearance of condensation on the walls.
Sometimes it is possible to get rid of humidity quickly and without serious financial costs.
In other cases, in order to dry the cellar, serious construction work and some financial injections will be required.
It was necessary to take care of the waterproofing and ventilation of the basement at the construction stage. But you can take measures to eliminate high humidity and in the finished building.
How to prevent the appearance of dampness during construction:
- When building a cellar in a private house or garage, do not use bricks and porous materials( foam and claydite blocks, shell rock).The best material for walls and floors is concrete;
- Do construction work in summer in dry weather to prevent groundwater from entering the excavation;
- Make waterproofing of walls and floor;
- Take care of ventilation. Correctly organized air exchange will prevent condensation on the walls and the appearance of mold;
- Note the groundwater level, if there is a risk of flooding, make an external or internal drainage system.
If the groundwater does not rise above the floor level, then bitumen or hot mastic can be used for waterproofing the basement.
After application to walls and ceiling, the materials polymerize and form a protective film on the surface. A more reliable method of protection is penetrating waterproofing.
The material impregnates the walls, changing their structure. Penetrating insulation reliably clogs all micro cracks, makes concrete more frost-resistant and sturdy.
There is also a waterproofing membrane type based on polymers. After application, the material is transformed into a membrane impermeable to water.
Correctly organized ventilation in the basement consists of an exhaust duct and air inlets.
The exhaust duct is installed in one of the corners of the room, on the ceiling or on the top of the wall.
The upper end of the pipe is located 0.5 m above the ridge portion of the roof. The duct is installed strictly vertically to reduce the amount of condensate, its outer part should be insulated.
Fresh air is supplied to the basement through the intake opening, the duct is installed in the opposite corner from the hood.
And the lower part of the channel should be located 30 cm from the floor. The intake and exhaust openings are covered with a mosquito net. Such ventilation works under the influence of natural pulling force.
Fresh air penetrates into the lower part of the basement, gradually warms up, rises and is removed through the exhaust hole.
How can I dry the cellar myself?
The best time for draining a basement in a house or garage is summer. The old reserves have almost reached the end, and the period of new blanks has not yet begun.
Preliminary basement is completely freed from the stocks of fruits, vegetables and conservation. It is also necessary to dismantle and remove all structures designed to store stocks.
Doors in the room should be left open for several days, due to this the basement can be quickly dried from the settled condensate.
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To speed up the process, experts recommend placing in the basement a box with a moisture-absorbing material, for example, dry lime or charcoal.
While the room is ventilated, take care of the structures taken out of the basement. Wooden shelves should be dried in the sun and washed with soapy water.
In conclusion, the tree is covered with a layer of whitewash with the addition of copper sulfate. To destroy the mold, you can burn the design with a blowtorch.
Metal elements also need to be dried, then rust-cleaned and dyed.
After the ventilation of the basement, the walls and floor are cleaned of debris and treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.
To completely destroy the mold and larvae of harmful insects, it is recommended that the cellar be fumigated with special smoke bombs with sulfur after ventilation.
You can buy them in shops selling agricultural implements.
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If the basement still has a high level of humidity and mold, then it is recommended to resort to one of the options for forced drainage.
What additional tools can be used to dry the cellar in the house or garage:
- Metal brazier - as an oven, you can use an old metal bucket with holes in the bottom for traction. To the bucket you need to attach the legs and hook with a cable, with which the brazier will fall down. The bucket is filled with wood or charcoal. After the flame is ignited, the brazier comes down and is placed on a flat, non-flammable base. To completely dry the basement, the fire should burn for at least 12 hours. It is forbidden to go down to the basement during fumigation, you need to pull the bucket up to put fuel in the bucket. Use the brazier in order to dry the cellar, it is possible only in rooms with concrete or earthen floor;
- Candle - in order to dry the cellar after penetration of groundwater, a conventional lighted candle is placed in an iron can and is installed near the exhaust port. The entrance doors remain open. The burning flame intensifies the draft, the air exchange takes place more intensively, the hot currents from the street come to replace the musty air. In order to dry the under-floor, a dry-burner can be used instead of a candle;
- Electrical appliances - an infrared or oil heater is installed in the middle of the basement. This method can take a long time, so if possible, it is better to replace the heater with a heat gun. Due to the high power of the heat gun, this method can be used to dry the cellars even after the penetration of sewage and groundwater.
The device of drainage system
At a high level of ground water occurrence it is necessary at construction of a cellar to take care of the device of a drainage system.
If this is not done, the sub-base will be periodically flooded. Most often an external drainage system is used, it can be erected around an already constructed structure.
The main difficulty - you have to dig a foundation around the perimeter of the building. If this is not possible, it is better to dwell on more accessible internal drainage.
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The drainage base is a perforated pipe, through which the holes will seep underground water and precipitation. The pipe is laid at the level of the sole along the entire perimeter of the basement.
Bear in mind, internal drainage does not guarantee a 100% result. In addition, after the completion of all works the basement will be lower by at least 30 cm.
Therefore, this method is used only as a last resort.
Internal drainage device:
- Dry the cellar well after penetrating groundwater;
- Waterproof walls, better with penetrating materials. In extreme cases, use liquid rubber;
- Dismantle the finishing floor( if any) and pour a layer of rubble onto the base plate;
- Place the perforated pipes on top of the crushed stone cushion and lead them out of the cellar into the water collection well;
- On the crushed stone pillow lay a layer of insulation material and make a concrete screed. This will be the new sex.
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External draining device:
- After removal of the formwork, cover the foundation with waterproofing materials;
- Dig a drainage trench around the foundation. Ditch should be located under a slope to the place of collecting water( drainage well);
- Dig a drainage well. It should be at a distance no further than 10-15 cm from the cellar. The walls of the well should be reinforced with a casing with a diameter of 300 mm and a depth of at least 3 m;
- Make a trench for the pipe that connects the drainage well and the catchment well;
- Place geotextile on the bottom of the drainage trench and fill in the gravel layer;
- Lay down the drain pipes, fill with gravel and cover with geotextile edges overlap;
- Connect the drainage water well to the pipe;
- Fill the trenches with the previously selected soil.
Build work better in the summer. If the basement is located on a site with loose soils, then the walls of the trench need to be pre-strengthened.
