Damp Basements and Mold

This summer has been especially rainy in and around Madison Wisconsin, and people are suffering with mold as a consequence. People want to know: Do I have mold? The answer is- if you have moisture coming into your house, or have had moisture in your house in the past, then almost certainly.

The next question is typically "If I have mold in my basement, does it affect the other areas of the house?" Yes. One reason is that your HVAC is located in the basement and is constantly sucking air through it. The other reason is that the air in the house moves from bottom to top- the stack effect.

Mold hurts you in 2 main ways: 1) spores and mold particles get into your air and are breathed in. This is easily taken care of by our technology. 2) Moist mold puts out a toxin into the air in the form of a vapor. This is called a mycotoxin. To get rid of mycotoxins, the moisture has to be eliminated. If you have a musty smell, you have mold with moisture.

Many people have had water getting into their basement this year due to the torrential downpours. We can help you figure out why/where, and you can also do some investigating on your own. The main sources are:

-No gutters or gutters clogged, or not draining away from house. Water can get into cove joint.

-Land sloped into house in combination with water piling up. Again, water can get into cove joint.

-Window wells, especially the large ones.

-Improperly flashed deck. You can see the moisture intrusion from this if you have an unfinished basement. Just remove the box sill insulation. Another tip: Remove the last piece of siding above the deck and see if there is a water resistive barrier like Tyvek, and if flashing is tucked behind it. Vinyl siding removal tool sold at most hardware stores.

-Field stone walls

-Crack in foundation or floor, or structural issues such as walls bowing in.

-Condensation from cold surfaces + humid air. For this, it is best to keep basement dehumidified and conditioned. Conditioned means supply and maybe even return vents in the basement, depending on your situation

Everyone in Wisconsin needs to run a large dehumidifier in the basement, but if you have a water intrusion it isn't going to resolve that. If you have a finished basement and smell something musty but can't locate it, you can either buy a decent moisture meter or give us a call. We can help you find where it is most likely getting in.

‍