my basement ceiling is the underside of the first floor the house is 122yrs.old;first floor is hardwood t&g(1" thick);i would like to utilize my basement more but i get a lot of 'fallout' from the first floor,through the cracks,t&g's,etc.;i'm considering,as an inexpensive dust&dirt control, of stapling plastic sheeting on the bottom of the floor joists. due to all the utilities running on the ceiling now, and an already too low overhead, any type of drop ceiling is not feasible at all. will the plastic trap too much humidity in the basement causing more dampness than i already have now or some other unforeseen problems? at this time aesthetics is not an issue, i need the space now!
happy trails,
tom j.
Answer:
The space you'e abou to gain will be so moisture laden that the smell will drive you out of the house. I'd rather see you do a good vacuuming job on the ceiling with a high-powered machine and then turn an air hose to it and vacuum again. You can then spray paint the ceiling to keep dust down. So far you've spent an afternoon doing the cleaning. Now take the next free afternoon you have and try this: Cold air holds more moisture than warm air and is, therefore, heavier. As air cools, it falls and keeps falling until it reaches the lowest level in the house. It cannot fall beyond the basement floor and that is where it has to be collected and pumped outside before that moisture gets a chance to condense in order to get rid of the moldy, musty odour and/or avoid it in the first place. A booster fan (250 CFM +) is available as a ‘pop in’ unit to fit 4”, 5” or 6” round heating duct. This can be installed in a totally separate duct line that is at least six feet from the nearest heat source. A timer on it will ensure that it operates only during the night (9pm to 9am) so cold, moist air it pumps out is not replaced by air that brings in even more humidity from outside. All joints and seams in the duct are taped and sealed for maximum efficiency and rather than a heating-type grill it should be a return air-type grill. To avoid having to core another hole in the foundation wall, this system can be vented, via a “TY” through the clothes dryer vent. Because none of the doors in the house go all the way to the floor, cold, moist air should find its way to that grill.
