Damp in Basements

As we move into spring sales of dehumidifiers to deal with condensation in the home slow down and we start getting asked for dehumidifiers to deal with other issues, one of the more common requests is for dehumidifiers to deal with damp in basements.

Customers with basements complain about musty smells, mold growth, damage to furniture, books, and condensation on cold water pipes.

So why do customers suffer with damp problems in their basements during the spring and summer more so than they do in the winter?

Basements are mostly below ground and therefore suffer less from temperature fluctuations than other parts of the house. In the spring and summer the basement will warm up more slowly than the outside air and will for the large part remain cooler than the outside air.

The outside air in spring and summer will tend to be humid and when this warm, humid air enters the basement (through an open window for example) it will come into contact with surfaces that are cooler – wooden beams, sofas, books, clothes, pictures and so on.

When air comes into contact with a cooler surface or is cooled the relative humidity increases, sometimes it increases so much that it condenses and water droplets can be seen, but even before this point mold can start to grow and this is often the hidden problem in a basement.

It is the mold growth that causes the musty smell and ruins the furniture and artefacts and if you are really unlucky, damages your health.

So this is why customers turn to a dehumidifier like the Meaco DD8L Zambezi Z2 during the summer months and they are so beneficial because they keep the relative humidity below the point at which it will cause problem in a basement and keep the basements usable for everyone to enjoy.