How to reduce humidity in a garage basement. Fighting dampness in the basement. Mold control

A damp basement or cellar in a house can cause many problems for owners. High degree humidity becomes not only the cause of food spoilage, but also the rapid destruction of building walls. You can get rid of dampness yourself if you take the necessary measures.

Dampness in the basement or cellar: causes, optimal humidity level

Before you start removing dampness from a basement or cellar, you need to have a good understanding of the reasons for its occurrence. It can appear in the basement of a brick, slag concrete, foam concrete or aerated concrete house, or in a wooden one.

Penetration of dampness from outside

Water can enter the basement from the outside or appear as water droplets on the walls and ceiling.

It seeps into the basement or cellar through microscopic cracks and defects in the walls, as well as due to poorly installed communication networks.
If the basement is damp, then you need to pay attention to the condition of the blind area.
Growing near the foundation big trees can pass water into the room through their root system.
Close location to the surface of underground groundwater may cause dampness.

Internal moisture source

If condensation collects on the walls, then the ventilation system in the basement is not working well or is completely absent. To eliminate the cause, two pipes are enough to create a supply and exhaust ventilation. In large basements it is usually not enough natural ventilation, therefore, it is necessary to create a forced system, thanks to which it will be possible to independently regulate the temperature in the room. If there are water pipes, they must have good thermal insulation to prevent condensation on the walls and ceiling.

Why does the basement of a wooden house become damp?

Since the tree is natural material, then it is susceptible to various negative “diseases” - the appearance of mold and mildew, rotting. Therefore, dampness often appears in the basements of such buildings. If there is a pleasant microclimate in the house, but on the walls basement greenish spots have appeared and it is felt bad smell rot, this indicates high humidity. First, assess the condition of the drainage and sewerage system. If there are no problems in this area, and the fungus does not disappear, you need to look at the problem more broadly.

Reason high level humidity can be caused by poor quality waterproofing and insufficient ventilation system. Fungus and mold will never appear in a dry and well-ventilated basement. The waterproofing layer will not allow moisture to penetrate into the room, which contributes to the development of fungal and mold growths. Special attention must be given to the old wooden buildings, whose primary waterproofing layer has long been damaged.

Why does dampness occur in the garage?

This is a non-residential building that does not require major insulation work. But many people have basements in their garages where they store various foods and canned goods. And in this case, dampness becomes a problem. As in an ordinary house, the garage must have good ventilation, waterproofing and an external blind area.

At sub-zero temperature outside, the humidity level in the basement increases. This occurs due to the temperature difference between outside and inside the room. Cold street air cools the walls, and inside the basement the temperature is much higher and therefore the air, cooling in the basement, turns into condensation and accumulates on surfaces in the form of water droplets. As a result, humidity increases, which creates favorable conditions for the growth of fungi and mold.

What level of humidity is considered normal?

For the human body, the normal humidity level is around 40–60%. At higher percentages, the risk of chronic respiratory diseases, skin diseases, and dangerous bronchial asthma. Dampness causes wet spots, mold and a suffocating putrid odor to appear. Wooden structures deteriorate, and stone and concrete structures begin to crumble. Metal elements become rusty, and wooden elements quickly rot.

If it is impossible to remove dampness through natural ventilation, the humidity regime in the house is disrupted and fungal spores that float in the air begin to actively multiply not only inside living quarters, but also in basements (cellars). This process is becoming large-scale. If the humidity level reaches 70% or more, and the room temperature is 15 ° C, then you should begin to take active measures. First, you need to accurately determine the humidity level using a hygrometer, and then move on to identifying the source of the dampness and eliminating the problem.

How to remove dampness from the basement: effective methods of control

Cracks become a dangerous source of moisture seeping into the room. Therefore, the first thing to do is to eliminate them.

External waterproofing

First, you should check the condition of the house outside, since very often dampness appears due to poor-quality installation of drainage.

We inspect the slopes on the building.
We make sure that the drainpipes drain water into a special storm drain funnel underground or into a surface gutter.
We check the drainage system that is located around the house.
Let's look at the condition of the blind area.

All detected problems must be corrected.

Then you need to protect the walls underground.

We remove the destroyed blind area.
We dig a small hole outside the basement walls, about 0.5 m wide and half a meter deep below floor level.
They dig a hole half a meter wide around the house to dry the walls.
We carefully dry the external walls of the house. This can be done naturally or using special construction fans.
We treat the walls with special antiseptics.
We fill the hole with crushed stone.
We make a dense underground blind area from roofing felt. To do this, we attach a sheet of material half a meter above the ground level on the wall of the house and take it over the edge outer wall.
We make high-quality blind area.
We coat it bitumen mastic.

Internal waterproofing device

As a result of improperly done basement waterproofing, dampness begins to appear over time. To keep the room dry, this needs to be fixed.

Dry the basement well.
We remove the old peeling coating from the walls, ceiling and floor.
It is necessary to remove plaster from walls damaged by mold and mildew to quality repairs all defects
We clear all the cracks and cracks. Carefully seal the damaged areas with cement mortar.
We saturate all the walls effective means against fungus and mold.
A special product is used for cleansing concrete surfaces from fungus and mold
We carefully coat all walls, ceiling and floor with bitumen mastic (or other waterproofing agent).
We seal the leaks and where they were previously, with alabaster.
The installation of internal waterproofing of the basement is carried out by treating the walls with water-repellent materials
For greater efficiency, you can re-plaster the basement walls.
After drying and waterproofing treatment, you can also re-plaster the basement walls

Some actions will help enhance the waterproofing effect.

Waterproofing cement basement floor

Dismantle the old floor.
Seal all existing cracks and cracks in the concrete with cement mortar.
When everything is dry, fill the floor with sifted sand or fine expanded clay (a layer of at least 5 cm).
Lay sheets of roofing felt on top, 3 mm thick, with an overlap of 10 cm on each other and on the walls. You can use a special waterproofing film for the floor.
Once again, seal all the cracks with bitumen mastic and make a new screed.
If desired, you can lay joists and install a wooden floor.

Waterproofing a clay basement floor

If the basement floor is made of clay, this will speed up the process.

Remove a small layer of clay (5 cm).
Level the base.
We lay polyethylene on top in 2 layers with an overlap of 10 cm on each other and on the walls.
Pour a layer of slightly moistened clay with sawdust (10–15 cm thick) on top of the film and compact it well. We take sawdust and clay in a ratio of 1:10.
As the clay dries, it will crack a little, so the cracks will need to be sealed with the same solution.
Then we place another similar layer of clay extending 20–25 cm onto the walls.
When the clay dries, the humidity in the cellar will decrease and the air will be much drier.

How to remove basement dampness during the rainy season

It often happens that humidity increases in autumn and spring during the high rainfall season. In this case, a different method of removing dampness is used.

How to strengthen a thin basement floor

A thin floor causes dampness in the cellar. In this case, it is necessary to make a double base by laying sheets of roofing material that will protect the floor from the appearance of excess moisture. All joints must be well coated with bitumen mastic, and then a finishing cement screed must be made on top.

An excellent way to eliminate dampness is calcium chloride. It is able to absorb moisture, as it is considered an excellent absorbent: pour the powder into various containers and place them in the corners of the cellar. Usually 0.5 kg of the substance is enough for a small cellar.

Ventilation system

A poor ventilation system is one of the main causes of dampness in the basements of brick or wood houses.

Installation of a simple supply and exhaust system

Video: ventilation device in the garage basement

Traditional methods of dealing with dampness

There are inexpensive but effective traditional methods combating dampness in basements.

To remove dampness, place four jars of white moss powder on the floor or shelves in the corners of the room. It absorbs moisture perfectly. This method will be effective only with a small percentage of basement humidity.
You can remove moisture using hydrochloric acid. To do this, we remove all food and preserves from the basement. We dilute the acid so that a weak solution is obtained (100 ml per 1 liter of water). We put on gloves and carefully treat the walls, shelves, ceiling and floor with the resulting solution. You must be careful, as hydrochloric acid can cause chemical burns.
Another method is also effective. Place a glass or ceramic deep dish on the floor, fill it with rock salt, and pour it on top sulfuric acid. It is necessary to work only in protective clothing in compliance with all safety measures. The vapors that will be released as a result chemical reaction, are capable of destroying mold and fungal spores. When the dampness goes away, it is necessary to ventilate the room well and wash all surfaces. You can purchase sulfuric acid in online stores chemical reagents. This is very dangerous substance, therefore, you should think carefully about the advisability of using it in the basement of a residential building, so as not to endanger the people living in it.
After creating a ventilation system, you can use it to further remove excess moisture. slaked lime. To do this, you just need to place a deep container with the substance in the corner of the basement. It not only absorbs moisture, but also kills developing fungi in pairs.
If the walls in the basement are damp, but fungi and mold have not yet begun to appear, you can put it in different places hot clay bricks (3–4 pcs. for small room). As the clay cools, it will begin to actively absorb moisture. When the bricks have cooled, they must be heated again.
You can put electric fireplace near a damp wall. It will warm up the required area and dry it. But this method will be effective only if the basement is damp small area walls.
Mold and mildew in the basement can be removed with boric, acetic or citric acid. You just need to wash all surfaces well with one of the active substances.
You can remove dampness from the cellar using regular diesel fuel. In this case, it is important to first clear the room of food, and only then thoroughly treat the walls and ceiling with fuel and whiten the surfaces.

Dampness in the garage basement or wooden house may occur due to close proximity groundwater, the building is located in a lowland. Wooden structures most susceptible to rotting due to high level humidity, so methods for eliminating the cause must be effective, but folk methods are not always so.

An eco-friendly way to kill fungus in the basement - video

How to eliminate dampness and fungus in a wooden cellar

Also remove mold from wooden surfaces can be done using a solution of sodium fluoride, zinc chloride, sodium silicofluoride or ammonium.

Dilute 30 g of the selected substance in hot water.

Ammonium sulfate powder removes mold from the walls of a wooden cellar

You can prepare a special paste.

Take 150 g of sodium fluoride, 135 clay and 200 ml of water.
Add to boiling water Chemical substance and fill in the clay.
Mix everything well until a homogeneous consistency is formed.
Use the resulting paste to treat all surfaces of the cellar and leave them to dry. This amount of paste is enough to process 1 m2 wooden plot walls. For greater efficiency, we repeat the treatment after a month.

Sodium silicofluoride powder is necessary for preparing a paste used to protect wooden structures from moisture

How to prevent dampness from appearing: preventive measures

If you live in an old house and cracks regularly appear in the basement that cause dampness, then you need to seal them well with rags soaked in bitumen mastic and cover them with plaster on top. This will be a temporary method, but it will prevent water from entering the room.
In the basement you can make a pit, which is a metal or concrete “glass” for water drainage. It will be possible to easily pump water out of it with a pump. But in this case, the floor in the room should have a slight slope towards the pit.
It is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of the basement, check the condition of the sewerage and water supply systems, as well as the roof of the house.
It is important to regularly ventilate the room.
On hot days in summer, take everything out wooden shelves and racks outside so that they dry out and warm up well in the sun.
Treat walls every season with effective antiseptic agents.

Depending on how damp the walls and other surfaces of the basement are, as well as the cause of the problem, it is necessary to choose means to solve it. Using correctly various methods removing moisture, you can always keep your basement or cellar clean and dry.

Cellar owners often complain about the humidity in them. Usually this problem is associated with violations committed during construction. How to reduce humidity in the cellar is a question that worries many Russians who store their vegetables in cellars and basements.

Excessive humidity often appears in basements and cellars. If you don’t start taking measures to eliminate it in time, fungus will appear, and then mold.

For obvious reasons, moisture and dampness are unacceptable in cellars and basements. Indoors with moist air mold and mildew appear. It is impossible to store vegetables in such a basement, and if the wet room is located in the basement, this can negatively affect the integrity of the entire structure.

One of the reasons for humidity and dampness is moisture penetrating into the room through the walls and subsequently accumulating on the floor. During its evaporation, air humidity increases many times over.

If the cellar or basement is located in a private house, the cause of dampness may be insufficient insulation of the building. At low temperatures, water penetrates into the basement through the joints in the walls of the house.

Groundwater may also be the cause of the increase. This is possible if the floor waterproofing is unsatisfactory.

Moisture removal methods

You can reduce the humidity in the basement different ways. But first, check the condition of the basement waterproofing. If it does not cope with the task, then it needs to be remade. This is often not a very cheap option.

Most inexpensive way, at which moisture in the cellar can be removed is as follows:

buy plastic film, you can use old one, the main thing is that it is intact. You will also need a shovel, trowel and clay. If the floor of your cellar is clay, then use it;
remove a 5 cm layer of clay floor, level and compact the resulting surface. Carefully lay two layers of polyethylene on top of it. Pour a layer of clay on it and tamp it down thoroughly. This must be done carefully so that the film layer does not move. The clay will begin to dry out and the air in the cellar will become drier. Instead of a clay floor, you can make it out of concrete.

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Additional Causes of Humidity

Moisture often appears in cellars during the snow melting season and after precipitation. Place a layer of sand at the bottom of the cellar and 10 cm of fine gravel on top. The dampness should disappear. If this does not happen within a year, then make the gravel layer thicker by another 10 cm. The groundwater will drop to a lower level, and from there it will no longer be able to rise to the level of the basement or cellar floor.
The humidity in the basement is significantly affected by condensation that appears on the walls. You can combat it using special waterproofing plaster. Plaster the basement walls with it - and they will begin to breathe. The condensation will disappear along with the dampness. Ready-made waterproofing mixtures are sold in stores. You can cook it yourself. Add a waterproofing additive to dry plaster.
Use a special solution to remove fungus and mold from the walls and apply plaster to the wall.
Moisture in cellars appears where they have thin and cold floors. Make a double floor, in the middle of which lay a layer of roofing felt. Air humidity will decrease.
You can combat moisture in the basement with the help of potassium chloride, which quickly absorbs excess moisture. Pour the powder of this substance into jars and place it in the corners of the cellar. This method works well if you have a small cellar.

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What to do if nothing helps

If all these simple ways cannot reduce the humidity in the cellar, then additional waterproofing must be created.

You start with waterproofing the floor. Cover it with several layers of bitumen. Warm it up construction hairdryer and lay two layers of roofing material on top. Instead, you can lay waterproofing; it is not subject to rot and is resistant to mold.
At the second stage of waterproofing, build additional half-brick walls. Install a waterproofing layer between them. On top of the cellar you make concrete screed at 10 cm.

Has moisture started to appear on the floors and walls in the basement? What needs to be done to make it dry and suitable for storing vegetables?

The first thing you need to do is to regularly ventilate the basement by opening it every day. Check ventilation.
If moisture appears on the walls and floor in the basement in the spring, they need to be repaired. Make a screed on the floor using waterproof cement. Carefully inspect the walls, if there are cracks on them, repair them, and then plaster the walls.
If possible, dig out the outside of the basement walls. Seal any cracks found cement mortar. Cover the walls with a layer of bitumen or roofing felt, this will enhance the waterproofing of the basement. You can make a clay castle around its perimeter. Place clay in the trench around the basement in 20 cm layers, tamping thoroughly. Such a lock will completely block the flow of groundwater and rainwater to the basement walls.
Additionally, along the outer perimeter of the basement, in a trench dug to the depth of the foundation, you can lay drainage pipes, through which water will be drained to drain hole or septic tank.

Is groundwater flooding the basement floor? Dig a pit below the basement floor level. Make a gravel cushion in it and place a container on it with holes drilled in the side walls.

The container should be wrapped in a cloth that allows water to pass through well; it will prevent the holes in the container from silting up. Place a pump with a float in it. Water fills the container, the float rises and turns on the pump. The water is pumped out, the float is lowered, and the pump is turned off. This device will allow you to effectively deal with water and humidity in the basement.

Mold in the cellar, similar to cotton wool, is very common. This is due to poor ventilation and high humidity. Many people have stopped paying attention to mold in the cellar. Harmful stains on the ceiling not only spoil appearance, but can also cause significant damage to human health.

In addition, products stored in the cellar will suffer. Mold has the ability to spread to other objects and actively multiply, which significantly reduces the shelf life and usefulness of products. If you find fungus in the cellar, be sure to get rid of the mold. Next material will help you do it right, warn reappearance fungus.

What is mold

Fungal colonies that develop from spores are called mold. Spores are constantly in the air, only under the influence of unfavorable factors (high humidity, heat) do they begin to “wake up” and actively reproduce. Molds can grow on concrete, paint, and wood. There are many types of mold fungus, depending on this you can see spots similar to cotton wool of black, brown, green, white. There are also luminous fungi, but they are not dangerous for the walls or ceiling of the cellar.

Mold can destroy building and finishing material, sometimes it comes down to the bottom. Therefore, those with mold in the cellar should think about getting rid of fungal colonies as soon as possible, otherwise they will have to make repairs or even rebuild. There are black, white and brown mold. The specific color depends not only on the type of fungus, but also on the stage of development, the color of the surface on which the uninvited “guest” has settled.

Reasons for appearance

Mold never appears just like that; this event is preceded by other unfavorable circumstances:

missing or clogged ventilation shafts. Lack of fresh air contributes to the growth of fungal colonies;
increased level of air humidity, condensation accumulation. This aspect often depends on the first factor;
insufficient air circulation in the cellar;
storage of rotten fruits and vegetables. Spoiled products become sources of mold, spores actively spread throughout the room, settling on the walls, floor and ceiling;
usage wooden products, which are infected with fungal spores.

Note! Depending on the growth of colonies of fungi similar to cotton wool, the methods of dealing with uninvited “tenants” of the cellar also differ. Without eliminating the unfavorable factor, it is difficult to protect the health and integrity of the premises.

Favorable conditions for reproduction

Why does mold appear in some cellars and not in others? For the appearance of “life” certain conditions are necessary:

presence of spores in the air. They are transported and settle in the cellar on people, products, animals;
nutrient organic medium (paper, wood, soil, peat pots);
favorable microclimate (high humidity, temperature about 20 degrees). Poorly functioning or non-functioning ventilation also has a negative impact.

Some types of fungus have the ability to reproduce at temperatures of 0 degrees.

Pay special attention ventilation system. After all, it is designed for normal air circulation in the room. Air movement prevents mold spores from attaching to any surface. In the corners, air movement is difficult; this is where colonies of fungi often accumulate.

Ventilation helps remove excess moisture from the room, which occurs against the background high humidity outside or a big difference in temperature. If there are fungal spores on the walls, but there are no favorable conditions for reproduction, they will not germinate. Based on this, we can conclude that poor ventilation is the main reason for the appearance of fungal colonies in the cellar.

Danger of fungus to humans

Many people do not suspect that mold poses a huge danger to human health and even life, not only for building materials. A damaged ceiling or floor (especially wood) can cause serious injury. In most cases, mold affects human health in the following ways:

through direct contact with skin;
human respiratory and circulatory system;
eating foods contaminated with fungi.

Spores of many types of mold are toxic and multiply very quickly (1 square meter of mold can release more than a billion spores into the air). In view of this, if it enters the human body, many ailments can develop.

The unpleasant consequences of contact with mold fungi are the following pathologies:

dermatological diseases occurring against the background allergic reactions(mycoses);
pathologies of the upper respiratory tract (nosebleeds, sinusitis, severe runny nose, many patients report difficulty breathing);
dizziness, headaches;
stomach upsets, digestive problems, attacks of nausea, vomiting;
exhaustion of the body, anemia.

The long-term influence of mold on the human body leads to problems in the functioning of the kidneys and liver, even internal bleeding occurs, and sometimes pulmonary emphysema. The risk group includes elderly patients, children, people with weakened immune systems; patients who have survived fungal infections are especially susceptible to damage.

Note! Mold allergies can be diagnosed in many laboratories. If you discover such a problem, urgently get rid of the causative agent of the problem.

Effective methods of control

How to treat the cellar against mold and mildew? Removing mold is hard work that requires a lot of effort and time. It is necessary to take into account the causes of the problem. A complex approach will help get rid of mold, similar to cotton wool, and prevent the re-growth of fungal spores in the cellar. The fight against fungal colonies is carried out in several stages, each of them is described in detail below.

Preparing to eliminate dangerous microorganisms

Helpful Tips:

While processing the room, be sure to empty it of all objects, equipment and food. This way, you will provide excellent access to possible places where mold is localized, protect the products that are in the cellar;
Remove all furniture and large objects from the room. They also need to be treated to avoid re-infection of the cellar with mold;
swipe general cleaning in room. Clean off all mold; if fungal spores have penetrated deep into the finishing material, be sure to replace damaged structures with new ones;
wood rots very quickly; if the floor is earthen, then approximately 20 centimeters of the soil layer must be removed (it is probably contaminated);
After thoroughly treating the cellar, begin drying the room. Only then is it allowed to begin directly combating mold.

Destruction of fungal colonies

It is not enough to simply remove visible mold; it is necessary to completely destroy dangerous microorganisms. In specialized stores you can easily find antiseptics that show antibacterial and disinfectant effects. Medicines must be used strictly for their intended purpose, following the instructions.

How to deal with mold in the cellar? Shows excellent results folk remedies, which quickly destroy dangerous microorganisms. Their use is very simple and rarely causes allergic reactions.

Folk recipes for fungus on walls:

What and how to get rid of it at home? We have the answer!

What they look like bed bugs and how to treat bites blood-sucking insects? Read the answer on the page.

Go to the address and read the information about what you can use to treat your apartment against fleas.

Precautionary measures

You can avoid allergic reactions and damage to the skin by taking the following precautions:

Before starting to destroy mold, put on a protective suit, goggles and gloves;
It is strictly forbidden to smell or touch dangerous microorganisms;
after treating the room, leave it;
It is strictly prohibited to eat products affected by mold.

Only by clearing the cellar of pathogenic microorganisms will you feel completely safe eating fresh and healthy foods.

Regularly carry out preventive measures to combat dangerous microorganisms in the cellar. Keep the room clean, clean it regularly, and be sure to thoroughly dry the room:

Drying the cellar takes up to fourteen days. Carry out manipulations on cloudless days, take the shelves outside, pre-treat them with water and liquid soap;
after a week, the boards will be completely dry, then treat them with an antifungal agent;
Treat the dry cellar with a similar product after thorough drying;
if the cellar includes an earthen floor, then pour the solution into it copper sulfate. Place sand or lime under the vegetables.

After such prevention, no mold will settle in the cellar, all products will be stored for a very long time. Stick to it useful tips, if microorganisms have multiplied, then use the tips for eliminating mold.

Another interesting method of combating mold in the cellar and garage can be learned from the following video:

To get rid of dampness, you need to carry out a series preparatory activities. Understand why it appeared, where the moisture is coming from and how you can fix it. You will learn about all this from our article.
Dampness is a very unpleasant phenomenon that can destroy stored crops. If moisture “settles” in the room, this can lead to destruction of the structure and deterioration in the health of everyone who regularly goes down to the cellar or basement. Read about why dampness “comes to visit” and how to get rid of it as quickly as possible in our material.

Dampness in the house - causes
Condensation forms on ceilings, floors and walls for a number of reasons. The most common causes of dampness are the following factors:

ventilation problems. Errors at the design or construction stage lead to poor ventilation in the room. The most common mistake is the following: poorly laid floor slabs and construction garbage block ventilation ducts. When there is a difference in temperature inside and outside the room, condensation forms on the windows and walls, and this is the first sign that mold will soon appear;
rising groundwater levels. In spring and autumn, when basements and cellars begin to flood due to heavy rains, dampness also increases. Poor drainage leads to water accumulating in underground storage facilities, the humidity level rises sharply, and the room turns into an eternally damp closed system;
capillary penetration of moisture from the soil or through cracks. If the foundation was built in violation of the technology, then after some time due to temperature changes droplets of moisture will appear on its internal walls. Over time, this can lead to partial damage to the walls and even their collapse.

Mold spores can be caused by many dangerous diseases, including cancerous tumors
Why is dampness dangerous?
The appearance of condensation and a characteristic unpleasant odor are only the first signs of impending trouble. Condensation causes the following consequences:

mold and mildew appear;
are violated temperature regime and the level of humidity in the room;
microorganisms harmful to humans multiply;
the walls, ceiling and ceilings are constantly waterlogged, which is why the finishing suffers;
the destruction of the foundation, walls and ceilings begins.

Concrete surfaces and tiles are most often attacked by mold fungi
How to get rid of dampness
First of all, all summer residents are concerned with the question of how to remove dampness. There are several reliable ways to eliminate dampness in the cellar and basement, but first you need to find out what caused the appearance excess moisture. To do this, carefully inspect the room:

if droplets of water appear on the walls and ceiling, the reason is due to poor ventilation;
puddles on the floor indicate rising groundwater levels;
droplets only on the walls hint at the lack of basement waterproofing.
Now let's look in more detail at ways to eliminate each of the reasons.

How to improve ventilation
If air exchange in a room is poor, the easiest way to improve it is by organizing additional ventilation. There are two types of basement ventilation:

natural - involves the use of the so-called. “vents” – openings around the perimeter of the building. Their total area should be about 1/400 total area building;
forced - involves the use of special equipment that forcibly pumps in fresh air. Typically used in large rooms.

Installation forced ventilation- expensive pleasure

To get rid of condensation on the ceiling and walls, you can carry out the following procedures:

Thermal insulation utility networks. If you have communications laid in the basement - water and sewer pipes– then the water temperature in them is always higher than the room temperature. As a result, condensation forms on them. To get rid of heat loss, you need to use containment from mineral wool, polystyrene foam and extruded polystyrene foam.
Hood organization. For additional ventilation of the room, ventilation ducts or pipes are installed. Usually they are attached to vertical load-bearing elements or attached to existing structures. Two pipes are installed in the room - exhaust and supply, placing them at different heights from the floor in opposite corners of the room. This is necessary so that draft appears and the room is ventilated.
Lowering groundwater levels
If groundwater penetrates into the room, this is serious problem, which over time can lead to partial collapse of the building. In this case, it is necessary to carry out a number of additional measures aimed at strengthening the foundation and pumping out groundwater. In particular, you will need to do the following:

dig out the foundation;
organize drainage around the perimeter of the building;
strengthen the foundation;
arrange external and internal waterproofing;
make a blind area around the perimeter of the building;
dry the room.

Only qualified specialists can carry out the entire range of work on groundwater drainage.
How to get rid of capillary moisture
If moisture forms on the walls of a building, it means that it is coming from external environment, namely, from the soil. You can prevent its access indoors using some of the most popular measures:

the use of waterproofing materials - primarily roofing felt, linochrome and waterproofing. All of them are made from pieces of dense material impregnated with bitumen. The cellar or basement is covered with outside, and from the inside;
protective compounds that clog pores in concrete are also considered an excellent “cure” for capillary moisture. Thanks to these compositions, it is possible to organize both a targeted effect on the holes through which moisture oozes, and application to all problem areas;
bitumen mastic and polymer resins are used to additionally protect walls and floors from condensation. These compounds can be applied independently, but they do not always provide the necessary level of protection and it is better to supplement them with waterproofing materials;
shielding is used especially difficult cases when, simultaneously with capillary action, groundwater appears in the room. Protective shields are made of geotextile, bentonite or clay.

With capillary penetration, moisture from the floor evaporates and settles on the walls
Let's look at some of the described recommendations in more detail.

External waterproofing of a basement or cellar
Inspect the structure and check the condition of the slopes, drainpipes, drainage system and blind areas. If you basically do not have a drainage system, then first start by installing drainpipes and slopes. Next, move on to protecting the external walls:

remove the old blind area;
dig a hole about 50 cm wide from the outer wall of the basement;
dry the outer wall;
apply an antifungal composition to it;
coat the wall with bitumen mastic, clay or concrete with additives from liquid glass;
make a blind area from a sheet of roofing felt - secure it 0.5 m above the ground level and extend it beyond the edges external wall basement;
fill the hole.

External insulation can be supplemented with a drainage system
Internal basement waterproofing
After completing external work, you can also insulate the basement or cellar with inside. This is done like this:

dry the room;
remove all crumbling coatings and whitewash;
find and clear all cracks;
saturate the walls with an antifungal agent;
apply a waterproofing compound;
if desired, plaster the walls at a height of 0.5-1 m from the floor.

Instead of applying plaster, you can treat the walls with a waterproofing compound
Floor work to eliminate dampness
If moisture penetrates the walls, gets onto the floor and evaporates, you should also deal with floor covering. The floor and walls should be concreted using liquid glass and roofing felt. You can also follow simple algorithm(if you have a clay floor):

remove a layer of clay about 5 cm thick;
level the floor surface and cover it with two layers of waterproofing film;
sprinkle it with clay on top or fill it with concrete and level the surface.

Use only putty on cement based, since their gypsum analogues actively absorb moisture
In case of seasonal flooding of the area, use another method:

Place a layer of sand or gravel about 10 cm thick on the floor to protect against groundwater flooding. Add more gravel if necessary if groundwater seeps through the drainage layer;
Apply special waterproofing plaster to the walls;
place in the corners of the cellar glass jars with calcium chloride (it will absorb excess moisture). For one cellar no more than 0.5-1 kg of powder is required;
sprinkle the floor quicklime layer 1 cm - it will absorb excess moisture and dry the room. To combat fungus and mold, you can slak the lime directly in the basement. Pour some lime into an empty container and fill it with water. The released vapors will destroy germs and mold.
During the release of lime vapors, it is better to leave the room. Return there in an hour and immediately organize ventilation for several hours.

Traditional methods of dealing with dampness
You can normalize the humidity level in the cellar using folk remedies:

dry the cellar walls using clay bricks. Place in different angles basement 2-3 bricks heated over a fire. As they cool, they will begin to absorb moisture. To achieve maximum effect, they can be reused;
To get rid of mold, treat the walls of the cellar with vinegar or boric acid(dilute 20 ml of acid in 1 liter of water), can be used citric acid(dissolve 100 g of powder in 1 liter of water);
remove all food stored there from the basement or cellar and treat the damp walls with diesel fuel, and then whitewash them.

Removing dampness and mold is a rather labor-intensive process. Therefore, you need to take care of organizing drainage and waterproofing in advance, and then deal with high humidity you won't have to. What methods of dealing with dampness do you know?

The basement under the house can be used both as a cellar for food and as a utility room. However, humidity in the basement can ruin all your plans. The appearance of moisture usually leads to dampness and mold in the room. And the appearance of puddles on the floor makes the basement completely unusable. In addition, mold and puddles are dangerous for the structures of the house itself.

Causes of moisture in the basement

Before you begin an uncompromising fight against dampness, you must first find out why it appeared. Usually there are two reasons:

Penetration of moisture into the basement from the soil.
Condensing it from the air.

Moisture from the soil penetrates into the basement quite easily. Here, both a capillary penetration path, through microscopic pores in the material itself, and direct water penetration through cracks in the foundation are possible. It should be noted that almost all of them have microscopic pores. Construction Materials- concrete, brick and wood.

Direct entry of moisture into the basement through cracks in the foundation is the bane of many old houses. There is the whole complex problems that the home owner will have to solve.

When moisture condenses, water droplets appear on the ceiling and walls. The reason is the difference in temperature between the air and the walls, floor and ceiling in the basement. Often, condensation is further complicated by capillary penetration of moisture through the walls. Therefore, here too it is advisable to approach the problem in a comprehensive manner.

There is one rule that helps determine why moisture appears in the basement.

If water drips from the ceiling and collects on the top of the walls, then the problem is the condensation of water droplets from vapors in the air.

And if water comes out in drops along the bottom of the walls and stands in puddles on the floor, then the problem is the penetration of groundwater. The methods for solving these problems are slightly different.

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Moisture condensation on cellar structures

How to remove humidity if its cause is the difference in temperature between the air and the basement structures? First of all, you need to understand why the air in the basement suddenly begins to warm up.

You can often come across statements that the cause of condensation in the cellar is warm air, the source of which is the basement floor. However, the question arises - why does warm air fall into the cellar, because usually only cold air layers move down?

It should be remembered that the proximity to warm layers air always leads to heating of the underlying cold layers. Thus, even through small gaps in the floor and door, heat will flow down. The air warms up quickly. For example, to heat 1 m³ of air by 1˚ C, it takes 3000 times less energy than to heat the same amount of water by 1˚.

Heating the air leads to an increase in its specific humidity, since heated air can contain more water vapor. In this case, water vapor can come both from the ground, through pores in the basement walls, and from above, from the house, through cracks in the cellar door or holes in the ceiling.

And here the solution to the problem depends on the purpose of the basement. The basement for food is insulated from above, along the ceiling and door, and the basement for personal needs is insulated from below, along the walls and floor.

The reason is simple - in the cellar for storing food you need stable low temperature, therefore the room must be protected from heat influx from above. As a result, the temperature difference between the air and the basement structures is eliminated, which makes it possible to remove moisture from the cellars.

And for utility rooms it is better to create comfortable temperature, That's why the best way out The walls will be lined with insulation and the floor will be insulated. In this case, the temperature of the basement will increase, but the dew point, that is, the thickness of the partition at which condensation occurs, will be recessed inside the walls. This will help remove moisture from the basement, simultaneously making it more comfortable for people, bringing its temperature closer to the air temperature in the basement.

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Basement insulation for food storage

In the first case, you need to start with thermal insulation of the door. It is best to cover it with sheet foam or polystyrene foam. The thickness of the heat insulator must be at least 5 cm. The blocks or sheets are attached to the door using a special construction adhesive.

On top of the thermal insulation, the door can be covered with leatherette or covered with a waterproofing film, of which there are many now in construction stores. In addition, the opening should be covered with a rubber seal around the entire perimeter to avoid heat leakage. The place where the door jamb connects to the floor must be cleared of chips and debris, and then filled polyurethane foam. Then the door is left untouched for 24 hours so that the foam can completely harden. The next day, the foam is trimmed with a knife and covered with plaster.

Thermal insulation of ceilings for concrete and wood basement floor carried out in various ways. When concrete floor the following work needs to be done:

Coating all joints and floor seams cement mixture(it is possible to add liquid glass to the mixture).
Sheathing or pasting the ceiling with insulation boards (foam plastic, expanded polystyrene).
Coating the insulation with special plaster.

To make a wooden floor, you will have to do the following work:

Installation of the subfloor (facing the cellar) on beams and joists.
Subfloor lining from the side ground floor vapor barrier film.
Laying bulk insulation (expanded clay, slag, sand).

To install a subfloor, you will have to open it up. However, if you don’t want to do such a large amount of work, you can simply fasten the sheathing to the floor beams from the cellar side, put sheets of insulation into it, and then cover everything with a vapor barrier film. To do this, you can use 2.5 cm nails, having previously placed a rubber square on each nail for compaction.

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Insulation of a basement intended for a utility room

Wall cladding in such a basement can be done either using sheet insulation or spray insulation. However, you should first coat the walls with cement laitance. This is necessary to close the capillary pores of the material itself. Adding liquid glass to cement will lead to better insulation. Then the insulation sheets are glued on top or reinforced with lathing. Finally, the walls are covered with plaster. For greater decorativeness, you can create false walls by covering them gypsum fiber sheets(GVL), laying them out with tiles.

It is better to combine floor insulation with waterproofing. To do this, the following work is performed on the basement floor:

Laying waterproofing (roofing felt with bitumen mastic sizing).
Apply a 5-10 cm layer of insulation (expanded clay, slag, sand).
Laying 4-7 cm thick sand-cement screed on top of the insulation.

This work can be carried out either on top of compacted soil or on top of an existing concrete surface.