Add-ons for better air circulation in basement

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hedgehog88

hedgehog88

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Hello all,

I'm having a problem with mold appearing in tight spots in the basement which is probably due to poor air circulation. We renovated the basement last year, replacing all wood boards with drywall. The walls before were cold but we added some insulation to it. The floors are tiled but remain cold due to it being the basement floor underground. We didn't really add any vent as we continued with the layout that already exist. After noticing the molds, we thought it may be due to bad air circulation and not enough ventilation.

I would like to know if there is anything I can do now to make the basement more livable with air quality...like add some holes, vents, buy some add-on to the furnace etc?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.
 
Before we talk about heat or a/c I would like to ask a few questions. What kind of insulation did you install and are there studs between drywall and concrete? How high are the concrete walls? How many windows or is there a window in every room. What was the condition of the concrete before they were covered up. Were there heat runs into the basement?
 
We use the blanket type of insulation which is for comfort+batt...either R14 or R22. Yes there are studs between the concrete and drywall. I would say it is about 8ft, and there are windows. Only 1 bedroom with 2 windows. The open room has 3 windows. Well the house is pretty old but there wasn't any stains on the concrete from what I can remember. Lastly, yes there were heat runs due as the basements gets pretty cold during winter time.
 
Sorry, I'm confused between hot and cold runs.

We have central AC/heat in the house. So both heat and cool air can reach the basement. However its strange how either a hot season and cold season, both provide that same source...like right now summer it get humid which means its somewhat difficult to breathe. So we open the windows for that. During winter its -3 degrees Celsius difference from upstairs so its rather cold. We provide heating down there which runs almost 24/7 to maintain the same temperature.

Hope this answers your question.
 
I think you will need a hvac pro to check for air flow in basement compared to air flow in the rest of the house.
 
hedgehog88 said:
Sorry, I'm confused between hot and cold runs.

We have central AC/heat in the house. So both heat and cool air can reach the basement. However its strange how either a hot season and cold season, both provide that same source...like right now summer it get humid which means its somewhat difficult to breathe. So we open the windows for that. During winter its -3 degrees Celsius difference from upstairs so its rather cold. We provide heating down there which runs almost 24/7 to maintain the same temperature.

Hope this answers your question.[/QUO
There are a couple things I can suggest that should help your situation. First I would try to add an air return preferably in the ceiling or high on a wall. doing this will help draw the hot air out of the room and keep the air circulating. Once you have a return installed you can keep your furnace blower motor on even after your house reaches its desired temp to keep the air circulating and draw the humidity out of the air. a cheaper but slightly less effective solution would be to buy a dehumidifier
Click to expand...
 
He did not say hot and cold runs. He wanted to know IF there is a air return installed in the basement. In other words is there a return with a FILTER that takes the air that comes into the basement from the central unit BACK to the central unit.

Tom
 
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