New Home. Moldy Basement..What do i do?

19 years ago

My home is about 14 months old and my basement is unfinished with 10" thick poured concrete walls. I have recently noticed that I have mold in a few areas on my basement walls. The thing that seems strange is that the mold is showing up on the walls in areas that are above grade.

The only thing that I can think may be causing this is that over the winter frost would develop on the walls in these areas when we had a long stretch of extreme cold.

My basement is unheated and probably stayed around 40 degrees all winter. And I normally run a dehumidifer.

How can I get rid of this mold and prevent this in the future?

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Comments (5)

newenglandbuilder
19 years ago
You should have a contractor take a look. Sounds like the outside foundation walls were not completely or properly sealed and moisture is being wicked into the concrete from the outside. Solving the moisture penetration is what you need addressed I'd think.
logic
19 years ago
Your humdifier may also not be properly balanced with your HVAC system...I would first get an HVAC tech to come and evaluate...it may be as simple as less humidity, and more heat...
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housenewbie
19 years ago
If the walls are cold, there could be moisture condensing on contact. I'd think that would be more likely to happen in a heated basement, tho (we've had it happen in a couple places).
cabinlife
19 years ago
Ack! Mold is my biggest enemy. We currently are battling mold in our basement. The cause is too much humidity and nothing ever dries out. I hate it...and get bummed out over it.

I would be devistated if my new house has mold. If you can, putts, keep us posted on the outcome. My husband and I are going to build an addition to our home...and hope that we a not plagued with mold in the new portion of the basement.

I want to learn from other people's experiences. So I am interested to read what you find out and how you resolve it.

Thanks and I will you luck!!!
sue36
19 years ago
What is the humidity level in the basement?