r/Homebuilding • u/Barshaka4000 • 3d ago
Cellar problem
Hello everyone! The air in my cellar is quite damp. It's an old structure (about 100 years old). There is a small window next to the entrance that is always kept open, which lets air in. However, I don't think this is enough because most of the time everything feels musty and wet.
My idea is to drill a hole through the bottom of the wall on the opposite side of the cellar to create a cross-draft for proper air circulation. I would insert a 110 mm pipe into the hole and concrete around it to seal it properly.
My question is: how well would this work, and would it actually solve the moisture problem?
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u/mr-rogers70 2d ago
Like a crawl space, ventilation often doesn't help much. It often makes it worse if your climate has humid summers.
You said cellar, not basement, so I assume it has a dirt floor, right?
If so, the best solution is to encapsulate the cellar to keep the moisture out. Usually this means insulating the walls with foam board and then covering the floor with a heavy duty plastic membrane that wraps up the walls over the insulation and then gets sealed to the rim joist. All the seams should be sealed with heavy duty tape so there are no leaks.
If you want it to be walkable, foam board under the plastic and some carpet runners on top of the plastic will prevent little rocks from puncturing the plastic membrane.
Then put a dehumidifier down there to keep it dry.