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It's not dry - unless it feels dry, smells dry and looks dry.
A waterproofing system doesn't mean you have a dry basement.
Even after you install a basement waterproofing system, you can still end up with a dampness problem.
 Capillary action wicks moisture through walls and floors. They may not leak, but it feels damp to the touch because it is wicking the water inside it to the surface. Water vapor is also a problem, slowly seeping through concrete and raising the humidity. If one of our basement wall systems and our ThermalDry Floor Matting are installed, most of the wicking and water vapor problems are solved, but external air still brings a great deal of moisture in on its own.
If the outside air is warmer than the air in your basement, particularly when it's humid outside, condensation will become a problem. Because houses work like chimneys - they suck in air at the bottom and expel it at the top - your basement may be more humid than ever in the summertime. This is because the Relative Humidity of air goes up 2.2% for every degree you cool it. If it's 87 degrees outside with a Relative Humidity of 82%, and we pull that air into our 68 degree basement, the Relative Humidity goes up by 41.8% (19 degrees x 2.2%). Since the total is greater than 100%, all the excess humidity is deposited as condensation on your cool basement floor, walls, pipes, water tank and other cold things.
Even without condensation basements tend to have high humidity levels and mold grows rapidly, generating that musty basement odor. Dust mites love that high humidity too.
There are only two possible ways to eliminate condensation: heat the air or pull the moisture out of it. Obviously heating your basement to match the outside temperature is counterproductive, so the only real option is to dehumidify.
 Not Just Any Dehumidifier
A regular dehumidifier is designed to pull moisture out of warm air, unlike the air in your basement. They also have buckets that require regular emptying, preventing you from getting round the clock dehumidification unless you set your schedule around the dehumidifier. The only machine that will give you real results is one called the SaniDry Basement Air System.
Schedule your and estimate and we'll send you a copy of "Dry Basement Science" at no charge, so you can learn more about relative humidity, dehumidification and the SaniDry Basement and Crawl Space Air System.
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