When you think of basement water damage, you may think of basement flooding in your Indianapolis, Noblesville, or Carmel area home. You may also think that as far as you know, the waterproofing on the exterior basement walls is doing a good job. So is your sump pump system, In fact, you have a new (or at least not old) sump pump recommended and installed by a professional. It gets regular maintenance. It’s even attached to a backup gas generator in case the house loses power. So you have nothing to worry about, right?
Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily true. You may still have an issue with basement humidity.
Where Does Humidity in the Basement Come From?
Your Indianapolis, Noblesville, or Carmel area basement is essentially a hole in the ground. Basic physics indicates water will try to flow into that empty space.
As noted above, your waterproofing and sump pump should prevent a basement flood. But a bit of moisture still gets into the basement and builds up over time in the form of humidity. Humidity is water vapor in the air as opposed to a puddle on the floor.
The Effects of Humidity in the Basement
When the air in the basement is too humid, water gets into structural elements and the items in the basement and damages them. Basement humidity can also lead to the growth of mildew and mold. Mold can trigger allergenic reactions, respiratory distress, and make you quite sick indeed. The space you intended for a play area, entertainment space, or just for storage becomes unpleasant and unusable.
Fortunately, a good basement dehumidifier can prevent all that from happening.
The Attributes of a Good Basement Dehumidifier
There are a great many basement dehumidifiers to choose from. They typically cost between 150 to 300 dollars. Make sure you get one that can handle a basement the size of yours. (The standard basement is 1500 sq. ft., and most any dehumidifier on the market can handle that.)
There’s a bit more to think about that just whether the dehumidifier can deal with the size of your basement. You also want one with a continuous drain option and a humidity controller.
The continuous drain option means you have a basement dehumidifier with a pump. The pump automatically moves the water that accumulates to the sump pit or a floor drain.
If you don’t have a basement dehumidifier with a pump, you have to go to the bother of dumping the water manually once or twice daily. If you’re like most of us, you’d rather not go to the trouble.
You use the humidity controller to set the maximum allowable humidity. You’re telling the machine, “The basement can’t get more humid than this humidity percentage.” That in turn establishes how hard the basement dehumidifier will have to work. Don’t go too easy on it, though. At a maximum, you never want a basement dehumidifier setting over 50 percent.
So if you don’t already have one, invest in a good basement dehumidifier. It will protect your basement against the subtler form of basement water damage.
