Basement dehumidifiers are useful machines which reduce the amount of moisture in the air. Dehumidifiers improve the quality of the air, reduce moisture, attract less insects, lower your energy bills, and they are convenient.

When picking a dehumidifier you must understand that there are two types. These are separated by size and function. The sizes are portable and an entire house unit. Portable models can be moved from basement to bedroom or anywhere its needed. Whole house models are installed and stay in one area. Whole house units have a fan that pulls more air over coils which pulls more moisture out of the air. The portable units are not equipped with enough power to affect larger areas, so they are only useful for one room.

Depending on your needs, you should choose the right unit for your space.

Brett Oakley, CEO of Mar-flex Waterproofing and Building Products, will be making a rare appearance on Home Talk USA with “The Cajun Contractor”. The radio show will be airing on Saturday, September 17th at 9:00 AM Central time, 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time. To listen to this rare interview with one of the gurus of the waterproofing industry, tune into Home Talk USA by visiting the website at the designated time and clicking the “Listen Live” link at the top left corner of the page.

We’ve gone over how you can fix leaks, how sump pumps protect you once you’ve got leaks, and finally how to keep standing water off your basement floor. One thing we haven’t touched on in a while is how to find the actual point of entry. In order to properly fix the leaks it is important to identify the source of the leak. After cleaning your gutters, and assuring your slope on your landscaping is sloping toward your basement, if there is still leaking water there is a simple trick to find the source.

First you need to identify whether the moisture is from a leak or if it is just condensation. In order to do this, find a spot on your basement wall where moisture congregates. Wipe the wall clean and assure absolute dryness. Then place a piece of duct tape on the walls, and leave it set for at least twenty four hours. When you remove the tape, if the moisture is on the side facing away from the wall, its condensation. If the moisture is under the tape, then your wall is leaking water. Find the exact point of entry and seal it with epoxy based concrete sealants.

So you have a sump pump, protecting your basement from water accumulation by pumping it out of the basement and away from the home. How do you know when to replace this necessary tool? There a few signs that mean you can no longer just repair your sump pump, such as noise, stopping working altogether, and electrical issues.

If your sump pump makes loud noises the entire time it runs, the motor is probably going out. Also, if your pump refuses to turn on, assure the unit is receiving electricity and try to manually operate the float. If the float is fine and the electricity is running to the pump, the pump has burnt out. If you suspect your pump has electrical problems, such as broken wires inside the fixture, it is much safer and easier to just replace the entire unit.

Concrete foundations develop cracks over time, its actually inevitable. As a house settles into its foundation, it puts pressure on the foundation wall which causes cracking and wear. One easy way to control these cracks, so they won’t damage your foundation, is to build your foundation wall with concrete control joints. Concrete control joints control the weight of the structure because they are installed in predetermined locations which add support to the entire structure. Make sure, when building a new home, you look into using concrete control joints. The small amount of money you’ll pay to have them installed is nothing compared to the cost of repairing your foundation if you don’t use this solution.

After following our recent twips you have done the right thing and taken the necessary steps to apply dampproofing paint to your basement. Now, a question you might have is when to reapply the paint for maximum protection. Most dampproofing paint is guaranteed for at least ten years between treatments. If your home is built near extremely damp environments, like marshes, your dampproofing will not last as long. In some environments you might have to replace the dampproofing every year. Finally, the time between treatments depends largely on how well the job was done the first time. The more professional you are in your approach to dampproofing, the longer the treatment will last. If you’ve only done the basics to protect your basement, you’ll have to do them every year.

How do you know if your sump pump is adequate to protect your basement? The size is not the determining factor when choosing a sump pump, here are a few tips on what to look for.

Sump pumps are designed to keep water from accumulating on your basement floor, and saturating your foundation. Regional land slopes and waterfall frequency can determine how many gallons per minute or gallons per hour you’ll need the pump to push out. A standard 1/3 horse power pump will work for most homes. Size is determined by the pump’s capacity to push the water into a pipe and away from the foundation. A good gauge would be if your pump is capable of pumping out 3,000 gallons per hour, then it should be adequate for most spaces.

When you install hardwood flooring in your basement, on top of concrete, you need a floor vapor barrier in between the concrete and wood. If you install the hardwood flooring directly on the concrete, moisture from the soil will seep through and penetrate the wood. This causes warping and mold. Vapor retarded paint costs around $20 to $40 a gallon, and a gallon will give you nearly two coats of protection. Costs vary when using the 8 millimeter plastic sheeting, depending on the size of your room. A square foot of plastic sheeting costs around $.25 to $2.50. This is a tiny fraction of the cost if you don’t preemptively protect your basement from moisture. Moisture can cause many problems not just with the wood flooring but also to your basement foundation, as well as your basement environment in general.

When water seeps into your basement, it not only causes mold and mildew as well as structural damage, but it also causes your flooring to be ruined and develop that musty basement smell. When replacing this flooring, there are a few safe options you can choose from.

Inorganic carpet tile won’t provide food for mold like organic carpeting does. Many inorganic carpet tiles provide a vapor barrier and insulation.

Laying vinyl in your basement is another option, but all vinyl isn’t the same. Choose vinyl specifically designed for basement flooring. The ideal choice provides insulation and a vapor barrier.

Replacing your basement flooring isn’t difficult or time consuming. Its a good project for any DIY-er.

Mar-flex offers the systems every building professional needs to do the job right the first time. Repairs to brand new structures are costly, and the percentage of new homes that need repairs is escalating at an exponential rate. Mar-flex has field-tested a concrete control joint system for over five years. This control joint system adds extra support to any foundation that reduces the rate of repairs. Adding concrete control joints is the only way to eliminate these foundation cracks, and protect against future cracking. Mar-flex’s various systems address the problems contractors face after a new build, as well as providing the durability and reliability you need when investing this kind of money in a project. Check out our selection today!