Keeping the basement dry is important to your home's health

By Debra Smith
Herald Writer
(Read this article on the Herald site...)

Many people are horrified when they see what the underbelly of their homes looks like, said Dan Malsch.

It's his job to wedge himself into dank crawlspaces and musty basements so he can find a solution to the mold, standing water and musty smells lurking in those places. He brings a camera so he can document the leaking water, mold, rat carcasses and shredded, hanging insulation for his customers.

"People are in shock," said Malsch, who owns Arlington-based Rainy Day Basement Systems with wife Lovisa Malsch.

Malsch spends lots of time educating customers.

"It's a mystery to people why their basements are wet and it's not that complicated," Malsch said.

Conventional wisdom in the construction business is the way to solve moisture issues is to add more vents to the crawl space and basement. Malsch said research has shown that's not true, that vents contribute to the problem by allowing cold air and moisture into the house that gets sucked upward into the home.

The solution is sealing off the basement or crawlspace, he said. The living environment should be separate from the damp earth and concrete under the house. The company uses a special heavy, seven-layer membrane tough enough to crawl on. Malsch compared it to a pool liner The membrane is caulked, sealed and fastened to the walls so moisture can't get through.

The company custom designs a solution based on the needs of the home and the customers wants, Malsch said. Sometimes that means digging trenches, installing a sump pump to keep water out or adding a dehumidifier to filter out mold spores, odors and particulates the air.

Up to 40 percent the air in the average rambler that people are breathing comes from a vented dirt crawlspace under the house, Malsch said. Many of his customers have allergies or health problems. Sealing off the basement or crawlspace and adding dehumidifier improves air quality and reduces humidity in the home, he said.

The company also will prepare basements to be finished. If sheet rock is installed directly on concrete, it will whick moisture and that causes mold to form on the sheet rock. The company installs a vapor barrier inbetween to prevent that problem.

The company doesn't remove mold and Malsch said he isn't certified in pest control. The company's services remove the conditions in the crawlspace or basement that can lead to those problems.

Malsch's business is the regional dealer for Basement Systems Inc., A Seymour, Conn., company with hundreds of independent contractors across the country. Big names in the construction business like Bob Villa of This Old House have touted the company's products on television, and that exposure has led many local customers to his Web site, Malsch said. He serves a territory that stretches from Highway 2 north.

The cost of his services varies depending on the size of the job and the extent of the problems. Sealing off a relatively dry crawl space on a smaller home might cost $4,000. The most expensive job to date was a large home that had duct work flooded with 18,000 gallons of water. That job cost $40,000 to pump out the water and correct the problem that was causing it. But at the completion of the job, Malsch said the homeowners were some of his happiest customers.

"It's a nasty dirty job," he said. "But we're making a big difference for people."