I live in the Atlanta area with a partially finished walkout basement - about 2,000 sq ft. The basement has its own HVAC system with a 65/pint/day dehumidifier plumbed in, and I run another 60/pint/day portable unit. Even with these 3 systems running all the time, humidity tends to be around 60%.
I get almost no visible water penetration after heavy rains, and the grading and downspouts seem to effectively carry water away from the foundation.
In an effort to reduce humidity further, I figure my next step is to try to seal the exposed blocks as much as possible, as maybe the humidity in my basement is being drawn through the masonry?
On 2 of the walls, there is a completely open course of hollow blocks. My plan is cap these with some 2" concrete cap blocks and mortar, then seal all concrete with drylok.
Is this a good idea, bad idea, or pointless? I'm tired of the humidity and the odor, and I feel like I've been combating the symptoms with dehumidification and not treating the source. It feels like I could remove 2,000 gallons of water per day from the air and I'd still be wet. What gives?
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I get almost no visible water penetration after heavy rains, and the grading and downspouts seem to effectively carry water away from the foundation.
In an effort to reduce humidity further, I figure my next step is to try to seal the exposed blocks as much as possible, as maybe the humidity in my basement is being drawn through the masonry?
On 2 of the walls, there is a completely open course of hollow blocks. My plan is cap these with some 2" concrete cap blocks and mortar, then seal all concrete with drylok.
Is this a good idea, bad idea, or pointless? I'm tired of the humidity and the odor, and I feel like I've been combating the symptoms with dehumidification and not treating the source. It feels like I could remove 2,000 gallons of water per day from the air and I'd still be wet. What gives?
