Science, Nature, and Smelly Basements

Wondering why your basement smells? Most “basementy” odors are caused by moisture and the irrefutable laws of science and nature. Here are four of the most important laws and what you can do to make your below-ground space more pleasant.

 

Irrefutable Law #1

Basement air rises into your living areas, so you breathe it every day.

 

This law is known as the stack effect, which states that warm air rises and leaks out of the upper levels of your home. Air leaking out at the top causes air to leak in at the bottom (into the basement). According to building scientists, up to 50% of the air you breathe on the first floor is air that comes from the basement. Like it or not, your basement affects your family’s health and, even if you rarely go down there, you should never ignore it.

 

Irrefutable Law #2

Moisture leads to mold, and mold smells musty...plus, it’s bad for you.

 

Mold needs two things to take root and grow, moisture and organic materials. Even if there’s no standing water, mold is attracted to high humidity and moisture in the air. It then finds and multiplies on organic materials such as dirt, wood, cardboard boxes, drywall, carpeting, and more. In addition to smelling bad, mold can seriously irritate asthma and allergies. Dampness also attracts dust mites, the number one indoor allergen.

 

If there’s no water leak in the basement, using a dehumidifier is the best way to eliminate musty smells. We recommend the patented SaniDry Sedona, a high-capacity, high-efficiency dehumidification system with air filtration in a single unit. It removes more than two times the water from the air than an ordinary dehumidifier, and it uses less energy. It also filters particles out of the air that are smaller than any floating mold spores or dust mite droppings. The system even dries out your building materials and basement contents, so the lingering smell and damp feeling are totally gone.

 

Irrefutable Law #3

Water flows downhill, and your basement is a hole in the ground.

 

Your basement is a hole in the ground lined with an imperfect concrete structure. The soil in that hole shifts over time and through wet and dry weather cycles. In addition, there are joints and gaps between building components such as your home’s footings and the basement walls. It doesn’t take much of a gap for water to enter…and so it does, down and through on the path of least resistance.

 

It pays to address leaks or past leaks sooner rather than later before they get worse. Fortunately, water issues in your basement can be fixed for good. And once they are, you’ll gain clean, dry space to use for everything from storage to an extra bedroom to a home office or family room.

 

Irrefutable Law #4

Science and nature are stronger than most basement fixes.

 

Contractors and do-it-yourselfers have all sorts of “fixes” for wet basements. Unfortunately, most of them fail over time. Installation of Ayers Basement Systems’ exclusive WaterGuard is guaranteed to keep your basement dry, and it includes a transferable warranty for the life of the home. WaterGuard is an interior drainage system that captures water at the most common points of entry, funnels it to our high-capacity TripleSafe sump pump, and then pumps it outside and away from your home. The system is effective because it’s scientifically designed to work in tandem with the laws of nature.

 

Contact us today to learn more, get a free estimate from a dry basement expert, and be on your way to a drier, fresher-smelling home.