Home Page link

Humidity in cold storage room

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Humidity in cold storage room car crash 09-02-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by car crash on September 2, 2007, 11:43 pm
I need help here !
I bought a brand new home last year with a cold storage room in the
basement. The builder left all kinds of wood in there when they
poured the concrete. I noticed upon moving in and long after that the
mustiness in that room was unbelievable. I had the builder rip out
all the wood and install 2 new vents that were stuck open instead of
the flap vents he installed which allowed NO circulation of air. When
they ripped out of the wood the guy told me that that wood was
basically dripping wet it was so humid.
Well 1 month after new vents and ripping out all the wood, I bought a
thermometer that can read humidity and as soon as I installed it, it
went right up to 100% humidity !!! The mustiness smell is still
there for sure and my wife thinks is sickening and disgusting. So
here are my questions.

1-Why is the humidity levels so high in that room so high to begin
with?
2-How can I ventilate better ?
3-How do I get the smell out of there?
4-Is there a health risk ?

Any other help would be greatly appreciated.
Ottawa, Canada.


Posted by Roger Taylor on September 3, 2007, 1:59 am

>I need help here !
> I bought a brand new home last year with a cold storage room in the
> basement. The builder left all kinds of wood in there when they
> poured the concrete. I noticed upon moving in and long after that the
> mustiness in that room was unbelievable. I had the builder rip out
> all the wood and install 2 new vents that were stuck open instead of
> the flap vents he installed which allowed NO circulation of air. When
> they ripped out of the wood the guy told me that that wood was
> basically dripping wet it was so humid.
> Well 1 month after new vents and ripping out all the wood, I bought a
> thermometer that can read humidity and as soon as I installed it, it
> went right up to 100% humidity !!! The mustiness smell is still
> there for sure and my wife thinks is sickening and disgusting. So
> here are my questions.> 1-Why is the humidity levels so high in that room
> so high to begin
> with? 2-How can I ventilate better ?
> 3-How do I get the smell out of there?
> 4-Is there a health risk ?>
> Any other help would be greatly appreciated.
> Ottawa, Canada.

You may have a wet basement caused by improper foundation drainage, roof
runoff misdirected, or built on a spring, or a low spot, or surrounded by
clay soil, or etc etc etc.....
Yes, there is a health risk ( mold, mildew) and risk of wood rot and
structural damage, over time.
Start by having an expert walk around the house and see if the perimeter
foundation is properly drained, and all roof runoff directed by pipe to the
street.
Once you get the drainage issue solved, you may have to go with a sump pump,
and/or an active ventillation fan that changes the air frequently.
There are companies that specialize in solving wet basement problems.
You have one.
Roger


>



Posted by BobK207 on September 3, 2007, 2:03 am
> I need help here !
> I bought a brand new home last year with a cold storage room in the
> basement. The builder left all kinds of wood in there when they
> poured the concrete. I noticed upon moving in and long after that the
> mustiness in that room was unbelievable. I had the builder rip out
> all the wood and install 2 new vents that were stuck open instead of
> the flap vents he installed which allowed NO circulation of air. When
> they ripped out of the wood the guy told me that that wood was
> basically dripping wet it was so humid.
> Well 1 month after new vents and ripping out all the wood, I bought a
> thermometer that can read humidity and as soon as I installed it, it
> went right up to 100% humidity !!! The mustiness smell is still
> there for sure and my wife thinks is sickening and disgusting. So
> here are my questions.
>
> 1-Why is the humidity levels so high in that room so high to begin
> with?
> 2-How can I ventilate better ?
> 3-How do I get the smell out of there?
> 4-Is there a health risk ?
>
> Any other help would be greatly appreciated.
> Ottawa, Canada.


Being from SoCal maybe you could explain what a "cold storage room"
is?

Like a "root cellar" or a "wine cellar"? To take advantage of the
stable & relatively cool temp of below grade earth?

to answer your questionss....

1-Why is the humidity levels so high in that room so high to begin
with?

I would think that concrete was placed without a vapor barrier to the
soil & water / vapor are migrating through the concrete.

2-How can I ventilate better ?

Of course AND you can dehumidify as well but won't these steps
negate the value of your cold storage room?

3-How do I get the smell out of there?

Get rid of the moisture & the smell with go away fairly quickly.

4-Is there a health risk ?

minor but if your wife doesn't like the smell (& who would?) I would
suggest getting a dehumidifier going ASAP but this really isn't much
of a solution since depending on the source of the moisture you could
be working against major water source.

What's the local drainage around the house like? Soil conditions?
Local stream?

Take a look at the plans for your house...do they mention a vapor
barrier? If yes, was it installed? If not, who did the design?

My guess is that you've got designed in or built in problem that the
builder is going to have to fix.

cheers
Bob



Posted by Don Phillipson on September 3, 2007, 8:34 am

> I bought a brand new home last year with a cold storage room in the
> basement. The builder left all kinds of wood in there when they
> poured the concrete. I noticed upon moving in and long after that the
> mustiness in that room was unbelievable. I had the builder rip out
> all the wood and install 2 new vents that were stuck open instead of
> the flap vents he installed which allowed NO circulation of air. When
> they ripped out of the wood the guy told me that that wood was
> basically dripping wet it was so humid.
> Well 1 month after new vents and ripping out all the wood, I bought a
> thermometer that can read humidity and as soon as I installed it, it
> went right up to 100% humidity !!! The mustiness smell is still
> there for sure and my wife thinks is sickening and disgusting. So
> here are my questions.
>
> 1-Why is the humidity levels so high in that room so high to begin
> with?
> 2-How can I ventilate better ?
> 3-How do I get the smell out of there?
> 4-Is there a health risk ?
>
> Any other help would be greatly appreciated.
> Ottawa, Canada.

Consult your city councillor about local sources
of information e.g.
1. Health components of the Ontario and Ottawa
codes for new dwellings. Public libraries seem not
to carry the building code, but municipal building
licence offices often provide free copies of the
particular pages you need. I do not know its
provisions for ventilation.
2. Ontario new home quality insurance system,
which obliges the builder to comply with the code
and to remedy at his expense departures from code
(e.g. external drainage of the foundations.) This is
time-limited.
3. Archives of local newspapers may record
similar problems (because there has been so
much building in Ottawa since 1970.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)



Posted by David Martel on September 3, 2007, 9:15 am
Crash,

What's a cold storage room? The amount of water that can be dissolved in
air is very temperature dependant. Let's assume that it's 75 degrees outside
and the relative humidity is 50%. That's nice, really comfy. OK, now lets
take this very same air and put it in the cold storage room. What happens?
Well the temp goes down and the humidity goes up. If the temp is 55 degrees
the relative humidity becomes 100%. Colder than that and you'll get water
dripping everywhere. So you need a door that seals well and a dehumidifier.
Your new vents are a bad idea. The air in that room must be much drier than
the air in the rest of your house (in Summer).
Try to rent a dehumidifier, install it, and seal the room. Check back in
a couple of days. If it's not much drier then you have leaks in your walls
or floor. Fix the leaks. If it's drier then buy a dehumidifier. I have no
advice on the musty smell other than a good cleaning with lysol or 5%
bleach.

Dave M.



Similar ThreadsPosted
venting for cold storage room June 25, 2007, 7:05 pm
How to insulate on a cold storage room October 5, 2008, 5:15 pm
Musty odor in storage room April 1, 2007, 1:07 am
Cold Loft Room February 28, 2006, 4:56 pm
Cold room in warm zone November 13, 2006, 11:57 am
Another post on Insulating a cold room October 9, 2008, 7:36 pm
Register Booster Vent, for a hot or cold room, boosts air flow July 10, 2007, 2:11 pm
urethane floor finish room-by-room January 6, 2006, 6:28 am
why does my basement cold water pipe only rattle during cold weather? November 6, 2007, 9:07 am
Shower upstairs hot-cold-hot-cold.. August 29, 2007, 12:27 pm

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap