Subject: Re: how to design a dry basement?

From: "Anthony M. Ippolito" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 05 Sep 1996 06:30:52 -0400

Carl Windnagle wrote:
> 
> How do you keep a basement dry?  I'm currently spending
> large sums of money to run a 50pint dehumidifier 24 hours
> a day.
> 
> There's probably not much I can do with my current basement,
> but I'd like to know what could be done with a new basement.
> 
> I should mention that I'm assuming it has good drainage
> so there's not a problem with standing water.
> 
> It would seem like a concrete basement should be painted
> or sealed by some other method to keep water from coming
> through.
> 
> Even after you do that though I think you would still have
> a damp basement in the summer because of humid air from
> outside leaking into the basement and causing condensation
> on the cool walls.
> 
> How do you solve this problem?  It seems like it would
> be an even bigger problem for an earth sheltered house.
> 
> I've seen the Enertia web page.  That seems like it's effective,
> but an incredibly expensive solution.
> 
> /carl
I think that your basement walls need to be sealed
Dear Friend,

I have 40 years experience in the construction trades and I offer free
advice via e-mail and Drafting at a very low cost because I work from my
home .

I also do construction consulting. If you want some help and need to
work within your budget then e-mail me at: [email-masked]

I will show you how I can save you thousands on new construction.
Also check out my home page at http://cqi.com/~tony, it is going to be
revised very soon with more important information that will help you.

Thank you

Tony

---

From: [email-masked] (Carl Windnagle)
Date: 4 SEP 96 10:43:22

/carl

---

From: Dan Riebs <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 07 Sep 1996 14:54:00 -0500

> outside leaking into the basement and causing condensation

I've been working on the same problem on the assumption my wife will 
ever let me build an underground house. I'm not an architect or a 
builder, but I've seen them on TV.

Let's start with the basics; 
    1. I live in central Wisconsin, so having air leaks of any kind from 
the outside is utterly unacceptable. I already pay enough to heat the 
place, I refuse to pay to heat the outdoors (sometimes -40F)  any more 
than necessary. (The same philosophy is useful during the summer when 
temps occaisionally get above 100F.)
    2. Everyone else in the world will tell you I'm wrong, but you 
should be able to build a dry basement in a lake, you just have to be 
more careful about the materials and methods you use (exposed re-rod, or 
anything else, on either side of the wall is a no-no here). To a certain 
extent you can even seal up cracks by putting up a layer of bentonite 
over the exterior wall before you put up the insulation.

The reading I've done indicates the answer to your wetness problem in 
new construction is: insulation and sealing up all the air leaks, 
possibly in conjunction with a small dehumidifier.

Regarding the insulation, I'm talking about styrofoam under the floor 
and around all the exterior walls too. It's possible you could avoid the 
insulation around the exterior walls by burying angled styrofoam all the 
way around the house, but that depends on your situation.

---

From: Jason Mansfield Roth <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 18:47:18 -0400

/carl

I'm not sure what's on the Enertia Web page (what's the URL, please?),
but the following is a proven solution (Mac Wells, Father of Underground
Architecture), has been using it for nearly 30 years w/ 100% success. On
the outside of masonry walls (which have some water-tempering capacity),
butyl (or bituthene or  bentonite) sheeting (~1/16" thick) and 2-4" of
insulation. And that's it (except for the obvious soil drainage moves).
That thick layer of rubber is virtually impregnable and, more
importantly, impermeable. With the insulation on the outside, the walls
are room temperature -- except in extreme cases, condensation can't
happen. An example of an extreme case would be, say, fog coming in the
windows. Also, an earth-shelter has a better situation than the average
basement, as a significant amount of sun usually enters the space,
warming the walls, etc. I want to reiterate here the importance of
exterior insulation -- that, more than the rubber, keeps the space
pleasant, livable, and solar-heatable.

JMR

93 SL2, blue-green

"I never gave anyone hell -- I just told 'em the truth, and they thought
it was hell."

"What's the use of a good house if you don't have a decent planet to put
it on?"