Damp basement

Nafets

Hi all!!

We have a basement in our grade 2 listed terraced property builtin - 1806
We purchased/moved in last year and I would like some advice on how best to dry out the cellar/prevent further decay of the property.
It is damp up to a point but certainly not very wet.
However I would say too musty to store anything unsealed for long. Part of the space is inaccessible as there are old bread ovens set back into the walls.
However the accessible space is still around 12 square metres.
I have made the following observations with my very untrained eye:
1: bare brick walls on 3 sides appear to be dry and crumbly.
2 the one external wall facing the street seems damp.
3: this same 'street side' wall has earth built up outside against wall/front garden (this isn't recommended as far as I know)
4: ventilation is minimal I believe due to draft prevention (plastic window with some holes cut out covering old wooden bars. Another small window has been covered with board
5: There is build up of white substance on some walls possibly salts? Or mould?
6: brick floor has patches of damp/wet coming up through but seems dry in other parts
7: ceiling has been boarded there is I believe insulation above but I havnt been able to check this as yet
8. There is no heating in the cellar

I appreciate any help anyone can offer. I am just not sure how best to proceed as many conflicting opinions reside online and no 2 old properties are the same. As a starting point I could put an army of dehumidifiers down there/open up the covered windows/install heating/remove the boarded ceiling etc.... but I don't want to do anything to further damage the property without further advice.
Ultimately we would like to use this space as extra living space if we can, whilst retaining as much of the original material/building fabric as possible.

Doozergirl

It needs ventilation. Ideally cross ventilation with air bricks on opposite sides of the 'room'.

If this cellar is not converted, joists should be allowed to breathe. It shouldn't really be boarded. Solid insulation can be inserted between joists or rockwool can be held in place by chicken wire.

Cellars are damp. Everything you describe is really quite normal, but without ventilation (and especailly with the joists now being enclosed) you run the risk of condensation building up and rotting the joists.

Gloomendoom

A above. It's normal for that type of house/cellar.

My house is much older but has a similar damp cellar. I originally had all the same concerns that you have. I improved the ventilation and there has been no deterioration in 15 years. Dampness has also been reduced (not entirely eliminated) enough to make the space usable for storage.

Don't waste your time with dehumidifiers. As fast as they remove the moisture from the air it will be replaced by more evaporating from the walls and floor.

Hopingforthesimplelife

We moved in to a c.1870’s build last summer and by the sounds of things, our basement seems to be in much the same state.

We have our washing machine/tumble dryer down in the cellar as well which no doubt doesn’t help the damp situation.

The biggest difference I have noted from an improvement perspective was clearing away plant pots from the airbricks, particularly on windy days. One of the rooms has a concrete floor and it is amazing to see the change in colour (damp to dry) depending on how windy the day is. For reference and if it helps, the area is approx.. 61sqm (with sub compartments) and has 13 air bricks. We also kept a double mattress down there which although in no way blocked the air bricks, it was remarkable how much damper it seemed to make the whole basement.

We have put loft insulation in between the joists to stop drafts going up through the floorboards into the house but haven’t boarded it.

We have much the same issue re storage, fine for anything metal etc but anything made of material very quickly gathers mould on it so I will watch this thread with interest to see if there are any practical solutions (although reading the above two views it appears possibly not).

Cheers,

J_B

My father in law runs a dehumidifier in his cellar - it seems to keep it dry!

Doozergirl

J_B wrote: »

My father in law runs a dehumidifier in his cellar - it seems to keep it dry!

They'll endlessly suck the moisture out from the walls and floor. The ground is damp outside. If it's dry then it's a pretty dry cellar anyway.