I recently bought an old house with an unfinished basement. There are few signs of water leaking and they look old, the most recent rain didn't produce any water in the basement. There is an old, musty smell in the basement and it seems to be humid. One issue I believe is the sump. It seems to be normal in this area to drain the washing machine into the sump and the lid on the sump is a damp piece of wood which covers most of the hole. Question: how do I get rid of the smell? Is the sump the culprit? Could I clean the sump and make a new cover that completely covers the sump? Any help is appreciated.

Thank you
Richard Lange

Sump Cover