Why Wood in Your Basement is a Rotten Idea

Whenever the air outside is warmer than the air inside, and especially when that air is humid, there is likely to be condensation.  Basements are always cool because they are below ground, causing moisture to collect on walls, floors, pipes, other building materials, and you guessed it—wood.

When mold grows on wood in a basement or crawlspace, it begins to rot and becomes weak.  The weakened girders and floor joists are unable to support the weight above, resulting in the floor above to become bouncy, soft, or maybe even saggy.

Any form of wood used in the crawlspace or basement is extremely susceptible to mold because it is an organic material.  Mold can still grow in a waterproofed basement.  It doesn’t have to be wet for mold to grow, just humid.  Mold grows in high relative humidity, which is over 60 to 70%.  In order to prevent this from happening, a SaniDry XP can be used to dehumidify the air because the only way to eliminate condensation is to get rid of the moisture.  A SaniDry XP system ensures that the relative humidity stays below 50% all year long.

Simply eliminating the mold does not get rid of the problem.  The water and humidity must be taken out of the air to prevent mold from growing and rotting the wood in your basement—causing the problem to become much bigger.