The wet sheathing and insulation are is indeed on the inside of the wall - noted through the basement. I think I was trying to respond to questions from others as to whether various types of things were installed - I presumed to understand whether the barrier breathed. I do not know if the sheathing is wet on the exterior side. We are just very concerned as to how it could we on the inside, and on multiple walls.
Moisture Getting Inside Walls
- Thread starter Invader21
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oldognewtrick
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Are there any windows above the area where the moisture shows up?
BvilleBound
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Dear Invader: Thanks for your clarification. The recommendations I posted previously apply, with moisture on the inside of the walls.
Hopefully this problem is limited to your basement area, where the fix will be easy -- particularly if you have a drain in the basement for a dehumidifier. A note: If your son leaves the home for extended periods, make sure the dehumidifier has an auto-restart function if there is a power outage.
I also forgot to ask if there is any evidence of water leakage into the basement - which would obviously drive humidity.
BvilleBound
Hopefully this problem is limited to your basement area, where the fix will be easy -- particularly if you have a drain in the basement for a dehumidifier. A note: If your son leaves the home for extended periods, make sure the dehumidifier has an auto-restart function if there is a power outage.
I also forgot to ask if there is any evidence of water leakage into the basement - which would obviously drive humidity.
BvilleBound
The basement is a walkout, and to my utter dismay, does NOT have a drain. It does have a sump crock. And not to over-document, but in addition to this new wall issue, the house DOES have a water issue in the basement. The builder did not sufficiently grade the lot, and the lot lies in the ‘low point’ in the subdivision. So there aren’t a lot of places for the water to go. How the drainage was designed to work in this subdivision is still a curiosity to me. During heavy rains, if there is saturated ground, water does back up through the doors in the basement (another issue we are continuing to fight/deal with).
Recently my son has been running a portable dehumidifier in the basement, and it isn’t picking up much water in the air (which I was also surprised about).
He is gone working during the day, but his significant other and two kids are there. The basement is unfinished, so no one is really down there much during the day.
Recently my son has been running a portable dehumidifier in the basement, and it isn’t picking up much water in the air (which I was also surprised about).
He is gone working during the day, but his significant other and two kids are there. The basement is unfinished, so no one is really down there much during the day.
BvilleBound
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the additional info. A few more questions / suggestions:
BvilleBound
- We had the same 'water backup into basement' problem with our previous home. I installed a trench drain in front of the doors, with a 4" line that ran 100' into the back yard where there was a downslope. This solved the problem. You would need to dig a trench and then pour concrete around the plastic trench drain in front of the doors. This is the hard part unless you rent a cement mixer. Home Depot carries trench drain components. See: US Trench Drain Deep Series 5.4 in. W x 5.4 in. D x 39.4 in. L Trench and Channel Drain Kit w/Stainless Steel Grate. Use standard PVC pipe for the outlet pipe - NOT the cheaper black flex pipe, which cannot be easily cleaned if needed. The drain pipe should be sloped 1/4" per foot of run.
- With damp walls and insulation, I am surprised that the dehumidifier isn't producing a significant amount of water - and drying the walls. What target humidity is it set to? It should be 40%. Do you have a thermostat in the basement that can sense humidity? If not, you should buy one to assess the problem. Home Depot carries the La Crosse Technology Comfort Meter with Temp and Humidity for $12.28, for example.
- If the humidity level is actually high, the dehumidifier should produce enough water that it will need to be connected to a drain. If one isn't in the basement (poor design by the builder), then get a condensate pump and run a line up to a drain pipe upstairs. DO NOT use clear vinyl tubing, which collapses over time. The 1/4" black plastic tube used for drip irrigation systems is best; Home Depot carries it, along with connectors. Connect it to a standard drain pipe upstairs, but not to a main waste line. See the diagram below. Add a mini p-trap made from short pieces of 1/2" poly pipe plus 90 degree connectors, before the connection to the drain line.
BvilleBound
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Thanks, Bville.
So, without a good set of photos it is hard to tell the story. But on the trench drain - the builder did install a small (not really a trench drain) drain around his back patio where the leak originates from. And it does feed into a 4” pipe that runs ‘away’ from the house and down the swales of neighbor houses to some other point (that I haven’t actually seen). The problem is that the same 4” pipe is also connected to both downspouts on that side (front and back), and is also the destination that the sump is pumping into. In short, that 4” pipe cannot handle the full flow of those three things. It needs to be bigger (8”?) or there needs to be another solution for some/all of that. My son’s back yard sort of runs up hill from that patio to the rest of his back yard. That’s part of the issue as well.
I like the idea of the humidity meter - we’ll get one of those, and monitor to decide what seems to be going on in terms of basement humidity - which like you, I think would be high.
So, without a good set of photos it is hard to tell the story. But on the trench drain - the builder did install a small (not really a trench drain) drain around his back patio where the leak originates from. And it does feed into a 4” pipe that runs ‘away’ from the house and down the swales of neighbor houses to some other point (that I haven’t actually seen). The problem is that the same 4” pipe is also connected to both downspouts on that side (front and back), and is also the destination that the sump is pumping into. In short, that 4” pipe cannot handle the full flow of those three things. It needs to be bigger (8”?) or there needs to be another solution for some/all of that. My son’s back yard sort of runs up hill from that patio to the rest of his back yard. That’s part of the issue as well.
I like the idea of the humidity meter - we’ll get one of those, and monitor to decide what seems to be going on in terms of basement humidity - which like you, I think would be high.
