We have a very smelly basement despite running a dehumidifier. We live out in the country and have a septic system that is one year old. I have never lived with a septic system before. Is it normal for a basement to smell when you have a well and septic system? Does anyone have any further strategies as to how to correct things? The home was inspected last fall when we bought it and came back negative for mold. Thank you for your help.
What you are smelling is mildew. Do you have carpet? If so, rip it up. Have pros (or a handy husband) seal the entire basement. You need to keep the wetness out. Then, either tile or put down a "floating floor."
The well and septic have nothing to do with the fact that you likely have a "wet basement". Google that for more info. And good luck.
And do try some Damp Rid like Pool Mama suggested. It should help a little.
I'd get it inspected again, mold is tricky. My friend used to live in an apartment downtown, and it had a basement and it was BAD. Turns out the mold was in between the layers of the basement ceiling/first floor FLOOR, AND it was IN HER LAUNDRY DRYER. Yeah, I don't know how it got there either, but it was nastyyy.
Does it smell like mold/mildew or sewage?
Our basement used to smell. And then my dad redid our basement it was half unfinished. He put the vapor block.. Think that's what it is called over cement walls..they did sheet rock.. We painted and carpeted....some home depot tile.. And smell is gone! I think it was the walls.
good suggestions with the drains. i think if you can figure out if you smell sewage vs. mold/mildew that will help with your troubleshooting. are your basement walls finished/painted? if not, i would scrub them with a wire brush and some bleach water and then paint them with some white masonry paint. if you have water coming in, you'll be able to tell once you scrub. we had a small crack in our bricks that were letting in water and it was molding and we didn't even know about it until i painted and a few days later saw the water line. just make sure if you paint with that that it's well ventilated :)
Mold.
Ya can't always see it.
Have someone come and inspect it.
Oh you already did that.
Sorry.
I grew up in a house with a well and a septic system and it never smelled...so I don't think it's "normal".
What type of drains do you have in your basement? A floor drain? A toilet/bathroom./shower down there?
If so, even if you don't use often, always flush the toilet daily and pour a few buckets of water down the floor/shower drains...they stink after not being used consistently. (My bro is a reg. plumber and he always advises keeping all drains "actively used"!)
Our basement did this when it rained, especially when the sump pump quit working. If you open the closet where the sump pump is, it is the strongest.
Lowes carries things you hang up that absorb dampness and odor in their closet and cleaning section. You would need to hang one every 8 feet or so.
Also, it helped us to run a hose from the dehumidifier to the drain so we never had to empty it ourselves.
We lived in our house with carpeted basement for 5 years with no issue until BOOM suddenly it started smelling this year and definitely has mold. One corner had black mold that seemed to pop up over night. I scrubbed it off myself with bleach and steam cleaned the carpet, but we also need to rip up the carpet. It still smells a bit down there. AND our front loading washer constantly smells like mold and needs those pellets to be run through.
