A Dry Basement - Part 1 (of many)...

Moisture in a home can cause great damage...to the home AND to the occupants. However, the HZG isn't one that's on the "black mold" bandwagon. Mold can be serious. When I grew up, it was "mildew" - not the all inclusive toxic variety. I turned out just fine...or maybe I should rethink this. Anyway, I feel mold is this year's lead based paint is this year's carbon monoxide is this year's radon...you get the picture.

With this being said, the damage that moisture can cause to the building's shell and its contents is what concerns me the most. Mildew, appearance, smells - air quality in general - can grow from a water problem.

Prior to discussing how to solve the problems, we must first understand how basements are made. I will keep this discussion to lay person's terms, however you can find other detailed information on various websites.

A block basement is comprised of many components. The footer (the base of the wall), the wall (blocks put together with mortar), the footer tile (PVC piping run around the perimeter of the basement that helps channel water to a destination away from the foundation), a waterproofing or water repelling substance on the wall, gravel over the footer tile and footer (connecting the walls drainage to the footer tile) and a dirt backfill. Boy, was that simplified...

A poured wall functions basically the same, except concrete forms are used and the walls are made solid. There are benefits to both - HZG feels that if the block walls are done correctly, they are the best (another topic of discussion). For the purpose of wet basements, we'll use the block wall as the example due to the heavier percentage of them in existence.

Next Topic: A Dry Basement Part 2 - Water Issues