solution for musty/mouldy basement ?

dada44

hi there,

a few weeks ago we went in our unused basement and moved all the boxes out. Spending two days doing so, I began to feel difficulty breathing, so I had a look around the basement and found very large black mould growth on the walls. We called someone in to sand it all down and repaint the basement.

Now however, a few weeks later, whenever we go into the basement, there is a very very strong musty smell, that is making it's way to the ground floor. The basement does not have any doors and there is an open staircase from the ground floor to it.

We have the heating on in the basement most days now. I'm guessing it's a ventilation problem, as opening the windows daily or weekly is really viable. Does anyone have any recommendations?

From what i've read, i would guess installing a vent and perhaps a dehumidifier may do a good job?

Also been wondering about the health effects from inhaling such stuff.

thanks

Owain_Moneysaver

A door at the top of the stairs will stop the warm damp air from the house cooling and sinking into the basement and condensing.

Then ventilate the basement. You may need a an electric fan running on a humidistat.

tony6403

As you seem to know already , mould is as a result of too much moisture. In a basement it is most unlikely to be condensation and much more likely to be coming through the walls from outside. Adding a door to close off the room would in my opinion make things worse by reducing the airflow.
(Cool air sinking and condensing is a new concept to me)
To start I would be looking for any poorly performing gulleys, leaking gutters, gradients causing water to flow towards the structure - i.e. anything which might be making the walls too wet from the outside. Is it a cavity wall? If so it could be that the cavity has been bridged by mortar droppings or other material.
If you cannot identify any fairly obvious cause then it may be that there is general damp from the surrounding earth in which case ventilation would be my choice. A couple of airbricks (or the plastic telescopic products if you have a cavity) should promote some airflow. If you do this, a door would be advisable to stop the draughts coming up into the house.
Otherwise, your idea of a dehumidifier might cure or reduce the problem.

property.advert

I have just done out a cellar with very limited original ventilation. You need ventilation for sure but if installing a humidistat controlled extractor fan, you may want to consider:

a) a two way fan, to draw out humidity but on demand, draw in fresh air

b) an overrider for a humidistat controlled fan running on an electric timer to refresh the air, irrespective of the humidity.

Gloomendoom

We have a cellar and it used to be very damp. From my experience the best way to reduce the damp is to improve the ventilation. I originally tried an industrial dehumidifier and it did pull out a considerable amount of water. However, as fast as you pull the damp out of the walls/floor it is replaced by more damp from the other side. Ventilation achieves the same results but costs nothing to run. We always leave the access door open.

BTW I nave found that a dehumidifier only works well in a sealed room. If you leave a door or a window open, it will try and dehumidify whatever is on the other side as well as the room it is in.

Leif

dada44 wrote: »

Also been wondering about the health effects from inhaling such stuff.

It should be harmless unless you have a weakened immune system, in which case it is best to avoid such places. The temperature of the human body is just above the temperature at which almost all mould and fungi can grow.

That said, I think you are best not to regularly go into very mouldy areas, why tempt fate? Oh, and if there is damp, you might get bacteria, which could do you harm.

cyclonebri1

Leif wrote: »

It should be harmless unless you have a weakened immune system, in which case it is best to avoid such places. The temperature of the human body is just above the temperature at which almost all mould and fungi can grow.

That said, I think you are best not to regularly go into very mouldy areas, why tempt fate? Oh, and if there is damp, you might get bacteria, which could do you harm.

I have to disagree here as they OP has already stated that she can feel the effects. I too suffer from these issues and avoid those conditions at all costs.
In the states and Canada they take a very serious view of mould, and take much greater precautions against it than we do.
Maybe their weather system makes it a bigger issue for them or they know something we don't?? ;);)

The human body temp is way above the temp at which these spores and moulds grow, it's just the ideal temp that is closer, sorry to contradict but it is a serious issue and shouldn't be played down.

Heating plus ventilation in the future.
Kill the existing stuff before repainting, the stuff can actually thrive on paint;);)

Leif

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

I have to disagree here as they OP has already stated that she can feel the effects. I too suffer from these issues and avoid those conditions at all costs.
In the states and Canada they take a very serious view of mould, and take much greater precautions against it than we do.
Maybe their weather system makes it a bigger issue for them or they know something we don't?? ;);)

The human body temp is way above the temp at which these spores and moulds grow, it's just the ideal temp that is closer, sorry to contradict but it is a serious issue and shouldn't be played down.

Heating plus ventilation in the future.
Kill the existing stuff before repainting, the stuff can actually thrive on paint;);)

Feel the effects is a vague term, and symptoms could be due to damp, low oxygen levels, dust in the air and allergies. There is an awful lot of misinformation, especially online, when it comes to fungi and moulds.

The only case of spores poisoning that I am aware of is a death from inhalation of spores in compost, the person concerned being immuno-suppressed, and the cause of death was aspergillosis. The air is full of spores from moulds and fungi. You can get hayfever like symptoms and other allergies from mushroom spores in autumn. Find a cup fungus, tap it, and you should see a cloud of spores. And I am sure you can get hayfever like symptoms and allergies - if predisposed to them - in cellars. I can get unpleasant symptoms from sanding plaster, or cement dust, but I have never seen warnings to avoid plaster and cement. I get unpleasant symptoms in early summer from air-borne pollen. It used to be very severe. It is all about commonsense and balance c.f. asbestos in vinyl tiles. You would not want to live in a damp house full of mould, but exposure to the stuff while cleaning will not kill or harm a healthy person.

Not sure what you are saying about fungi. There was an article not long ago in New Scientist, indicating that the reason for our elevated body temperature - and that of mammals in general - is to avoid infection by fungi:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228411.700-killer-fungi-made-us-hotblooded.html

You can see what happens to insects, which do not generate heat internally. It is not uncommon to come across insects killed by fungi. Google Cordyceps and also Entomophthora muscae.

Anyway, enough rambling, I agree the OP should get rid of the moulds, for many reasons.

cyclonebri1

Leif wrote: »

Feel the effects is a vague term, and symptoms could be due to damp, low oxygen levels, dust in the air and allergies. There is an awful lot of misinformation, especially online, when it comes to fungi and moulds.

The only case of spores poisoning that I am aware of is a death from inhalation of spores in compost, the person concerned being immuno-suppressed, and the cause of death was aspergillosis. The air is full of spores from moulds and fungi. You can get hayfever like symptoms and other allergies from mushroom spores in autumn. Find a cup fungus, tap it, and you should see a cloud of spores. And I am sure you can get hayfever like symptoms and allergies - if predisposed to them - in cellars.)

This is the whole issue leif, only someone who suffers from asthma or allergies, (often the same thing) will experience difficulty breathing which is what I and I'm sure the OP is talking about.
For anyone else it's a silent intruder which if breathed in constantly can ruin health.

It's the fact that they, mould spores etc, are concentrated in a cellar for 1 reason due to ventilation which we both agree is 1 of the issues here, and secondly because ideal conditions for the multiplication exist, again a factor in the density.

I have a long history of susceptibility to these things, I can walk into a room and if something is wrong with the air I'm out of there otherwise it's steroids and inhalers for me.

Not an argument, just an explanation of how I suspect the op, and certainly me, react to mouldy conditions, ;)