Basement Secrets - Continued

The air you breathe in your home comes from the basement area.

The “stack effect” creates airflow in your home from bottom to top.

How? As warm air rises in a home, it leaks out of the upper levels.

New air enters to replace the air that escaped. Air from the

basement is drawn upwards into the first floor and then to the

second floor. Fifty percent of the air you breathe in your house

comes from your basement. Whatever is in your basement air is

in the rest of your house such as humidity, damp odors, and mold.

Try this. Proof that the “stack effect” is real:

In the winter, open a window in your basement a bit. Feel the cold

air coming in towards you. Shut the window.

Go to your upstairs and open a window about an inch.

You don’t feel any cold air coming in? That is because the warm air

is going out. With low air pressure on the lower levels of your

house sucks air in from the ground level, then blows air out of the

upper levels due to a higher air pressure.

Mold and mildew growth begins in the wall cavity where it is hidden and undetected. Because it’s hidden, it may be impacting your health without you being aware of it. As mold and mildew growth worsens, you will detect a damp or musty smell. Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is a combination of ailments commonly linked to an individual's place of work or residence. A 1984 World Health Organization report about the syndrome suggested up to 30% of new and remodeled buildings worldwide may be linked to symptoms of SBS. Most causes of sick building syndrome are related to poor indoor air quality (improper exhaust ventilation, lack of adequate air filtration) specifically due to heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, out gassing of some types of building materials, and molds.