Relative Humidity and Your Basement

Mold can grow in your finished basement even without a plumbing or groundwater leak.   How is this possible?  All mold needs to grow is high Relative Humidity. And high Relative Humidity can be caused by water vapor coming in through the concrete or by condensation.  For most homeowners, their basements get damp and smelly during the hot and humid summer months.  This is due to condensation on their cool basement floors and walls.

Relative Humidity (RH) refers to the amount of water that is in the air relative to the maximum amount of water the air can hold at that temperature.  For example, if the air is 70 degrees and has a 60% RH, then the air is 60% full of water compared to the maximum amount of water 70 degree air can hold.  When air is cooled, it shrinks and can’t hold as much water.  So if the air is cooled without taking any water out, then the RH goes up, even though more water has not been added.

For instance, if you were to squeeze a plastic water bottle that is 60% full, the water bottle would become smaller and the water level would rise.  The opposite is true when the air is heated without adding water, and the RH goes down.  For every degree the air is cooled, the RH is raised by 2.2%, provided that no water is added or taken away from it.

In order to eliminate condensation (and potential mold problems), you need to either heat the basement (ridiculous in the summertime) or take water out of the basement air.  The solution is to install a dehumidifier in your basement, but not just any dehumidifier will get the job done. The water needs to be taken out of the air efficiently and effectively in order to completely eliminate the condensation.

The only machine that will keep your finished basement dry and odor free is the SaniDry Basement Air System.  The SaniDry is different from other dehumidifiers because it is a high-capacity, high-efficiency dehumidification system that also acts as an air filtration system.  It takes up to 100 pints of water per day out of your basement air, while using the same amount of energy as a 40 pint dehumidifier.  The SaniDry also filters particles out of the air to less than two microns in size, which is smaller than any mold spore or dust mite dropping.

The SaniDry Basement Air System wrings your basement air completely dry and has a powerful blower that circulates that dry air around your basement space.  This dry air dries out your building materials and basement contents, making that damp smell and feeling go away.  Also, it automatically drains the water into your WaterGuard or sump system, meaning you never have to worry about the hassle of emptying buckets.  The SaniDry is the perfect solution for you damp basement and is the cherry on top of your waterproofing system!