summer basement ventilation

jCarroll · Jul 18, 2011

This is tractor related because my tractor parts develop surface
rust when they are in the basement.

We're in central Ohio. 2/3 of the house is a traditional concrete
block wall basement - the other 1/3 is crawl space. There are
two vents in the crawl space, two in the other portion. Those
vents have been open - today I closed them.

Basement is humid, a dehumidifier wrings out a lot of water. We
run the A/C most of the time.

In the winter, combustion air comes from the basement. But in
the summer there is no forced ventilation of the basement air
space. I'm thinking I ought to create an inlet in the return air
duct to pull some basement air while the A/C runs.

Good idea/bad? Comments?

Anonymous-0 · Jul 18, 2011

Why don't you just take the parts out of the basement and be done with it,
easy and cheap.

Bob - MI · Jul 18, 2011

I would put in a return vent in the basement. I am assuming you have central air?

HVAC guy who did our new furnace suggested that I pull cool air from the basement in the summer when we are running the A/C. I put in a vent grate that I can open and close so when we are in the heating months I can close it.

Just put a vent in my daughter"s basement cold air return and the difference in temperature is notably higher down there. She has a 900 sq. ft. 2-BR home and she is getting by with an 8,000 btu window air unit by circulating the air in the house with the furnace fan.

Whole job is about $15.00 and takes 20 minutes.

TonyIN · Jul 18, 2011

Depends on the current condition of your basement. If it has block walls, I"m going to assume it is an older house ( built in the 50"s +/-). Is there a vapor barrier (plastic) on the floor of the crawl space and is it sealed to the walls?
Aside from the crawl space vents being open with the high humidity we"ve had, the crawlspace itself may also be contributing to the moisture.
Check this as you may not want to distribute that moisture through the house by installing a return air vent.
Also, we"ve had the comment from a homeowner after a significant remodel that with the new ducting and system, they now get that musty basement smell through the house - part of it is the return air the new unit is drawing from the basement and I think the other part is the rest of their house is no longer "old" so they are more sensitive.
Overall you should be fine, just check on what you will be distributing through the house when you do...

Anonymous-0 · Jul 18, 2011

JCarroll, this column was in our local paper, the crabwrapper, last saturday. I thought it was made for this question, of yours, maybe not, maybe so.
Jim Rooney, 7/16/11

Geo-TH,In · Jul 19, 2011

Don't vent a basement/crawl to the outside, especially in the summer. Vents are allowing moisture to get in. I live in central Indiana. Have 2/3 basement and 1/3 crawl like yours. Have central air and a dehumidifier. No problem with moisture.

showcrop · Jul 19, 2011

I keep my basement windows open in the summer here in southern NH. I know that on humid days humidity will come in from outdoors, but that on almost all nights and MOST days that moisture is able to evaporate due to lower humidity outside. The foundation is stone with concrete floor. I will never forget going into a sealed up vacant house with concrete floors in the middle of the summer once, and seeing condensation dripping from the floor joists from the moisture trapped in the air down there.

LenND · Jul 19, 2011

When the AC is going I take the bottom door on my furnace off. Then the fan uses the cold air from the basement when it kicks on.

jCarroll · Jul 19, 2011

This article was written JUST FOR ME. Helped a lot.

I cracked the vents in the basement supply ducts to let conditioned
air into the basement space.

LenND's solution hit me in the forehead - duh. I removed the humidifier access panel, and that lets basement air be pulled into the return plenum.

Thx everybody !

Anonymous-0 · Jul 20, 2011

If you read more of Jim Rooney's stuff, in the Crabwrapper (the Capital) check out his opinions on in system humidifiers.

summer basement ventilation

jCarroll

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Anonymous-0

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Bob - MI

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TonyIN

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Anonymous-0

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Geo-TH,In

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showcrop

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LenND

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jCarroll

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Anonymous-0

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