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Basement Mold Questions & Answers
Q. We have what we think is mold in our basement. We have 2 sump pumps and
on occasion (before our generator hook up last year after the ice storm)
have had water in the basement. We have used fans and sweeping it down the
sump pump holes to clean it up. There are two areas that look like mold and
never seem to fully dry up. We use the dehumidifer but it doesn't seem to
pick up the level of humidity needed for it to run. We have it down to 40%.
I've done a lot of reading and am trying to determine the best remedy. It
seems so costly but is re-pouring concrete the answer? for the whole
basement (probably 200-700 sq feet is my guess). If not what else can be
done since it seems to be damp all the time in those areas. The concrere
doesn't really look like concrete anymore. The house was built in 1947.
Suggestions for what to do is helpful. I can send pictures if helpful.
Thanks a lot!! (March 10, 2010)
A. Getting the basement humidity to 40% is a major step forward in mold
control. If indoor humidity exceeds 65 to 70%, such a high humidity
facilitates mold growth. 40% humidity discourages mold growth. From the way
you discuss the basement floor, it seems that you have a water intrusion
problem with the water wicking up through the concrete from the wet ground
beneath the basement floor. One relatively affordable way to stop the
upward water intrusion into your basement from the wet concrete floor is to
install ceramic tile over the indoor basement floor, with the cement beneath
the tiles and between the tiles (grout) being cement to which you have added
adequate amounts of cement waterproofing compound. Before you do the
ceramic floor, at your earliest opportunity, spray and scrub the basement
floor and walls with boric acid formula, available at
http://www.moldmart.net. The two sump pump holes should be sprayed on a
regular basis with boric acid, leaving the spray to dry with its resulting
boric crystals serving as a protectant against mold. Please email any
followup questions to me at
envirodangers@yahoo.com. Thanks---Phillip Fry, Certified Mold
Inspector, Certified Mold Remediator, and Certified Environmental Hygienist.
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