Cellar Tanking - The Condensation question and How to Avoid it - Part Four

From the old articles in this series it is made clear that two factors, temperature and humidity and the former cause behind condensation, and that the waterproof membrane or coating of a cellar tanking or basement waterproof system can conduce to these two factors to bring about 'dew point' the point at which condensation will occur.

It seems logical therefore that we should tackle temperature and humidity directly, single the temperature and humidity at the exterior of the cellar tanking or basement waterproofing system.

Humidity Control

Temperature

·      Avoid peaks and troughs in heating patterns, keep some background heat on all the time

·      retention the basement or cellar insulated will help keep it warm but remember that this will make any vapour wall behind the insulation colder

·      Using an integrally insulated membrane for the waterproofing system can help to keep the exterior of the vapour wall warm as can placing an insulating material Behind the vapour barrier. (This will need to be moisture resistant).

·      Avoid excessive ventilation, leaving the basement door open can cause heat to be lost by convection, leaving windows open on a cold day can bring cold air in. It is best to use an extractor fan so that air coming into the basement comes from the rest of the house (and is therefore more likely to be already heated).

·      Using a dehumidifier genuinely keeps the basement warmer.

Humidity

·      Again, avoid excessive ventilation, it is a myth that ventilation reduces humidity, it may do sometimes but you have no operate over the external humidity and you may naturally be bringing in more humid air from the outside.

·      A dehumidifier is the best tool to operate humidity, but you must remember two additional factors to ensure that your dehumidifier is sufficient - 1.  The air must be warm to start with; a dehumidifier is pretty useless in cold air as it works by cooling the air down to citation the moisture then heating it up again before it is expelled from the machine and 2. Do Not Over Ventilate! Ventilation will naturally waste the nice warm dry air that the dehumidifier produces!

·      Sensible living practices do not leave wet clothes or other items to dry (unless they are enclosed in a boiler room with air extraction), avoid excessive use of cooking and washing practices that create a lot of steam.

·      Use an extractor fan for bathroom and utility areas where steam generation is unavoidable.

Click the link to find out more about how to avoid problems with your basement waterproofing or cellar-tanking project.

Cellar Tanking - The Condensation question and How to Avoid it - Part Four