(Disclaimer: The following is based on the experiences of a fellow HW resident. I am not an engineer or professional tradesman. These are just my observations.)

Well, we’re all proud owners of brand new homes here in Hickory Woods. That’s the good news. However, we are still in New England, with all the crazy weather, and our new homes all have brand new concrete foundations and basement floors, and that concrete is still wet! I’ve been told it takes years to thoroughly dry out. And I do know that in my old house, which had a very dry basement, I had to run a dehumidifier from May until October — for the entire 30 years I lived there. But during the winter, I found it better to add humidity, at least in the upstairs living area. So back in Part 1 in February, we talked about Humidifying our homes as protection from the dry winter air.

Now that the warm weather is coming back, we’ll soon find out how our basements really haven’t yet fully dried. To check this, take that hygrometer, or Humidity Monitor you put upstairs last winter, and hang it in your basement. (And remember, if you didn’t get one then, they’re only about $20 at HD.)

DEHUMIDIFY – Dealing with too much humidity

Once spring comes around (and it will!), you’ll notice the humidity starting to rise – especially in your cellar. Those with fully underground cellars will feel it first, but even those with “open backs” will also get too humid. And opening them up for a day or two of airing out just won’t do it. Plus, you need to remember that there is a tremendous amount of moisture still in that concrete. That same black tar-like sealer that they put on the outside of the foundation to stop water from coming IN — also stops water from getting OUT. The only way the dampness can get out is through the air in your cellar! Some builders recommend dehumidifying full time for the first 1-2 years (just don’t try it in the winter, or when the cellar temp drops much below 55 degrees F — it won’t work).

Back to that personal discomfort scale:
High humidity:

• clammy feeling, especially when wearing synthetic materials
• musty smells
• allergic reactions, such as sneezing, itchy eyes, and chronic coughing

And the house’s discomfort:
High humidity:

• Condensation on the inside of windows
• Mold on walls and ceilings
• Insect infestations

If you live somewhere with hot, humid summers, a central air-conditioning system, like we have, can help keep humidity under control – AC systems remove excess water as they cool air. In most cases, our present air conditioners seem to handle the living area quite well.
However, homes that have basements or below-grade living areas, may encounter high humidity problems year-round. And they don’t benefit from the central air. Here are options for reining in the damp:

• Buy a portable dehumidifier to cope with isolated dampness. Cost: $190–$350.
• Equip your bathroom with a vent fan. Cost: $25–$100, $235–$527 with an energy-saving heat exchanger. I believe we already have the first option installed – but not the energy saving exchanger. And since it’s upstairs, it only impacts already conditioned air.

High humidity in new construction
Newer homes in high-humidity areas are especially susceptible to excess interior moisture because they’re tightly built: air leaks are rare. And the concrete is new. However, that efficiency can cause humidity buildup. To counteract high humidity in a finished basement, you could add a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) to your HVAC system. It refreshes interior air and removes humidity without loss of heat. Cost: $3,500 on new construction, $4,500 for a retrofit. Might as well just air condition the entire cellar.

Before you consider that, you may want to consider other methods for at least a couple of years, to give the concrete more time to dry.

• A much less expensive option is to dehumidify just the cellar. While you can still find the old-fashioned dry chemical dehumidifiers being sold cheaply, they’re pain to live with. You need to add salt crystals regularly and empty them constantly.
• Electric versions will cost $150 -$300, depending on the features. While most still need to be emptied regularly, the higher end models not only have their own humidistat built in (so they can cycle on/off as needed, but many even have a built in water pump that can empty them vertically up to 10 feet. You could stick the drain tube out a cellar window, but I wouldn’t recommend it. (I did, and it worked fine — until an Alliance landscaper hit it, knocked it back into the cellar, and in 2-3 days I was planning a pool party!) The best option is to intercept the line going from your furnace’s condensate pump (which empties into you washer machine drain pipe). Alternately you can drill a ¼ hole in your sewer discharge pipe in a horizontal run, and epoxy the drain tube into it. (Just don’t forget to put a loop in the drain tube to act as a vapor trap to prevent sewer gas back-up.) I chose this method because of its simplicity, and it worked well in my last house for 30+ years. But, it’s a DIY fix that a plumber won’t do because it’s not really code compliant. Either way, all you are doing is adding 1-2 gallons of distilled water a day to the septic system — about the same as a flush or two. BTW: in addition to the up-front cost, you will see a $5-$10/mo. uptick in your electric bill, depending on the dampness in your cellar. But it’s real low maintenance – just clean it at the end of the season.

Stay warm — or cool— but stay hydrated!
That’s about all I can add. Maybe now I can get back to that relaxing retirement in our new
home (after I finish off the rest of the “Honey-Do” list!)
If you have any questions, shoot me an e-mail at dankilgore@comcast.net, or stop by for a chat.