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Posted by homebild on November 8th, 2003 03:48 PM
In reply to New Construction Basement Odor by Jon on November 8th, 2003 09:01 AM [Go to top of thread]

What you are describing is relatively 'normal' considering the conditions under which you built.

It is normal, for example, that the moisture content of freshly poured concrete and block to outgas water vapor for about a year after construction.

Having a very wet building season can make your basement masonry be wetter than normal and take longer to fully dry.

Also, if your basement exterior was only water-proofed and not also vapor proofed, you could be getting in an excess amount of water vapor migrating into the basement from the wet ground outside.

All of this can add up to dampness and a bit of mildew causing the smell.

A dehumidifier would be the most economical method to deal with this problem thru the first year.

After that you could put vapor barrier coatings on the walls (like DryLok paint) to further decrease basement humidity.

By the second year under most circumstances your basement should be dry with no lingering mildew smells.

But the first year with newly poured block and concrete is a bit difficult to control moisture altogether and you shouldn't get too carried away trying to.

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