Humidity in Basement — was it just built wrong

[Anonymous]

We get high humidity in basement near sump pump. We are on a hilly area with lots of water, but even during Jul 2019 rain storm we didn’t get any rain in.

Sump pump runs regularly so probably lots of ground water.

In spring summer we have to run a dehumidifier downstairs to keep humidity below 70 (when we see mold grow on sump pipes filled with cold ground water).

Should they have never built here? Is this moisture typical of Nova basements are so we have a lemon? We moved in last Dec and didn’t notice these issues then.

[Anonymous]

There was a Holmes on Holmes on this. If you have moisture, you have mold. Sell now while you can.

[Anonymous]

Most people in dmv have to have a dehumidifier constantly running in a basement. It’s a swamp where we live and basements were mostly built to get the house up out of the ground not be occupied, imho. Constantly running sump though is worrisome. I would see a landscaper about French drains if you don’t already have them and diverting water away from the house.

[Anonymous]

Does the sump pump run when it’s not raining?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the sump pump run when it’s not raining?

It will run randomly most days I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a Holmes on Holmes on this. If you have moisture, you have mold. Sell now while you can.

We have brought humidity down so no mold. We had it tested when we moved in (air quality and all)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a Holmes on Holmes on this. If you have moisture, you have mold. Sell now while you can.

This is just BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We get high humidity in basement near sump pump. We are on a hilly area with lots of water, but even during Jul 2019 rain storm we didn’t get any rain in.

Sump pump runs regularly so probably lots of ground water.

In spring summer we have to run a dehumidifier downstairs to keep humidity below 70 (when we see mold grow on sump pipes filled with cold ground water).

Should they have never built here? Is this moisture typical of Nova basements are so we have a lemon? We moved in last Dec and didn’t notice these issues then.

Totally normal to run a dehumidifier in summer. This is basically what your A/C is doing anyway. If you didn’t run that dehumidifier upstairs would be a swamp there too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a Holmes on Holmes on this. If you have moisture, you have mold. Sell now while you can.

This is just BS.

They literally had their house built on top of a creek and had mold on the walls.

[Anonymous]

Normal. We are not on a hill or water. Most basements are humid. Just run a dehumidifier.

[Anonymous]

Not normal, I hope you have exterior basement waterproofing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the sump pump run when it’s not raining?

It will run randomly most days I think.

You want to confirm.

[Anonymous]

Totally normal to have to run a dehumidifier most of the warm months in DC area basements. (Lived here 50+ years.)

[Anonymous]

If you have a sump pump there is a good chance the crock is being fed by a perimeter drain in the basement. One thing you can do is have the perimeter drain camera inspected with a sewer drain camera. If it’s blocked anywhere it won’t be as effective at diverting water away from the exterior walls to the sump for pumping out. I did this recently and found no obstructions. Friend of mine in del ray definitely has an obstruction and The plastic pipes can fill with silt material over time.

We run a dehumidifier in the sump pump crock area that drains into the crock. It’s usually around 55%-50% down there in the height of summer. The number of air returns in the basement also impacts humidity because your HVAC is pulling water out of the air during the warmer months.

[Anonymous]

What's the AC situation down there? Does your AC have enough returns to support significant dehumidification? We lived in a house where the basement was completely below grade and had no AC -- it stayed cool except for the 1-2 hottest weeks of the year. It was humid without a dehumidifier, though.