This is a basement that looks to be pretty well built. A 50 foot single wide mobile home is on top. Joists are steel I beams, so one would think the builder knew their stuff. Floating floor with drain all around and a sump pump, with about a foot of water in it. The basement has a dehumidifier running and still is too damp. The lot is on a hillside, about half way up.
Why is the basement wet when there has not been a good rain for weeks and can it be fixed?
Could have been they didn't do a hydro study before they built it. Could be in a natural groundwater stream. Fixing could be very expensive to impossible. Also could be the water gets in there when it is raining, then has no escape.
When I built an earth sheltered solar home in 1980 I dug into the hillside and then watched it for weeks to see if water was coming down the hill through sub-layers of earth. Then spent a large part of the budget building strong water-proofed walls with extensive french drains dumping out farther down the hill.
if it is built into a hillside, can you add a drain that exits further down the hill?
I take it that the basement is dry and just the sump pit has water in it? how often does the sump run?
mad_machine said:if it is built into a hillside, can you add a drain that exits further down the hill?
That is also my thought. But I am not sure if the lot has enough vertical to the property line. It would be a long expensive ditch.
The basement is dry but smells like it is always a little damp. Not sure how often it runs but the float was very close to triggering the pump.
Given how little rain there has been locally I fear bigger problems. The water is coming from an underground stream or something. In the corner of the basement is a huge industrial fan, like 4 foot wide. It was next to the storm doors, which leads me to this being a big, expensive problem they ignored.
In reply to porschenut :
Ooof. My guess is a spring. The water from up the mountain may be following a fissure that was intersected when the foundation was dug. At this point you may as well just turn the basement into an indoor pool and roll with it.
I live in a house that's 100+ years old. Most of the houses in the historic area are built with crawlspaces. Throughout the neighborhood (and nearby neighborhoods), everyone's crawlspace (and even the few with basements) have moisture, regardless of how dry it is. It's inevitable. However, these buildings have stood the test of time. Keep everything ventilated as much as possible, make sure downspouts run away from the house, and dehumidifiers and sump pumps are your friend.
If your house has been there for a while, I wouldn't worry too much. I'd also check with your neighbors to see if they have any issues. Nevertheless, take all the measures possible to keep your basement as dry as possible. Letting those efforts slip will cause issues.
This is a potential purchase. And living with it is not an option. The smell in the basement even with a humidifier was terrible.
The lot is 2 acres with a 1000 sq ft pole barn garage. Great location, fantastic view of the valley. Downside is a 20 YO single wide on a foundation that would be better served as a swimming pool. My thought is to put in a pad foundation and get a modular house somewhere else on the lot. The old foundation would be used to build a greenhouse/gym/hot tub area. But by the time this is done I would be broke. So probably passing on the place.
Thanks for the education.
Is your water main leaking?
Condensation?
J.A. Ackley said:I live in a house that's 100+ years old. Most of the houses in the historic area are built with crawlspaces. Throughout the neighborhood (and nearby neighborhoods), everyone's crawlspace (and even the few with basements) have moisture, regardless of how dry it is. It's inevitable. However, these buildings have stood the test of time. Keep everything ventilated as much as possible, make sure downspouts run away from the house, and dehumidifiers and sump pumps are your friend.
If your house has been there for a while, I wouldn't worry too much. I'd also check with your neighbors to see if they have any issues. Nevertheless, take all the measures possible to keep your basement as dry as possible. Letting those efforts slip will cause issues.
Living along the ocean most of my life, the crawlspace in the house I grew up in was not just damp, it was always ankle deep
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