Blogs by Basement Systems Dealers

Badger Basement Systems Sponsors Middleton, WI Fire Dept. and American Lung Association by Badger Basement Systems

Milwaukee, WI - Badger Basement Systems is sponsoring the Middleton Fire Dept. Team in the Firefighter's Challenge for the American Lung Association Fight for Air Climb. Firefighters are climbing over 90 flights of stairs with FULL GEAR, Saturday morning March 20th!

Join Us For One Breathtaking Event!

The Fight For Air Climb takes place on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at the U.S. Bank Center in downtown Milwaukee. Participants climb 1,034 steps to fight lung disease and promote lung health. Climbers can participate as an individual or as part of team; competitively or non-competitively, but you don't need to be a star athlete to be a part of this unique physical challenge.

The average climb time is around 15 minutes, and everyone age 13 and up is welcome to make their way to the top! After you finish your climb, relax and enjoy complimentary refreshments and fun. Don't forget that as you are climbing and extorting your lungs, you are making a difference to those who are literally fighting for air every day.

If you want to try this event, but aren't sure you will make it to the top, then join us for our Half Climb! If you make it to the Finish Line of the Half Climb on the 20th Floor and feel like you can keep going, you are free to continue your way to the top! This is an excellent way to try the Climb out and see how you like it! (Registration and the required fund raising minimum remain the same.)

Help Fight Lung Disease

Your support will fund research, education and advocacy initiatives. Lung disease is responsible for 1 in 6 deaths in the United States, but you can help by participating in this exhilarating event and reaching new heights with your fund raising. Ask a lot, raise a lot! Click Here for fund raising tips.

U.S. Bank Center | March 20, 2010

**Badger Basement Systems is a local Wisconsin company for over 30 years, Fort Atkinson. They perform basement & crawl space waterproofing, basement finishing and foundation repair throughout WI.

Colorado Basement Systems at Breckenridge 2010 Mardi Gras by Colorado Basement Systems

The town of Breckenridge in Colorado celebrated the season with several entertaining events.

Colorado Basement Systems participated in the 2010 Mardi Gras events at Breckenridge, CO.

Colorado Basement Systems Founding Member of Gypsum Chamber of Commerce by Colorado Basement Systems

Colorado Basement Systems Founding Member of Gypsum Chamber of Commerce

Hey Saskatchewan- it's a GOLD sale on basement flooring! by Basement Systems Saskatchewan

To honor our Saskatchewan born athletes who won GOLD medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics;
Lucas Makowsky- Speedskating, Ben Hebert- Men's Curling, Lyndon Rush- Men's Bobsleigh
Hayley Wickenhauser- Women's Hockey, Colleen Sostorics- Women's Hockey
Ryan Getzlaff- Men's Hockey, Brendan Morrow- Men's Hockey, Patrick Marleau- Men's Hockey
The Men's hockey coach Mike Babcock
as well as Cori Bartel- silver in Women's Curling
and anyone else I might have missed.....
We are offering a golden sale on basement floor tiles....

If you live in Saskatchewan and you're tired of having cold concrete floors- give us a call and
we will give you a golden deal on pricing!

Prevent four letter mold in South Carolina by Crawlspaces PLUS.COM 'Disaster Plus'

As Posted in DisasterPlus.

Mold is the new four letter wordâ�¦..

â�¦When it comes to home inspections, getting insurance etc. and we are finding a lot of mold in homes and crawl spaces in the Low Country! Moldâ��s purpose is to breakdown or eat dead organic material. Mold likes processed organic fibers best. It will grow on paper and cardboard first and after that it will grow on fiberboard and chipboard and then plywood and finally framing lumber. You may first notice mold in your home on sheetrock surfaces and that is because sheetrock has paper on it â�� Mold loves sheetrock.

While mold is not new to the homes in the Low Country there are steps you can take to eliminate the environment mold needs to survive. Professional remediation and adjusting the relative humidity in the area the mold is found usually takes care of the problem.

We serve southern South Carolina including Mount Pleasant, Charleston, James Island, Johns Island, West Ashley, North Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville.

The Case Against Crawl Space Ventilation in Washington by Rainy Day Basement Systems

Open Crawl Space Vents

For far too many years, homeowners have tried to use outside air to dry out their humid basements and crawl spaces.

In many areas of the country, crawl space vents have been written into building codes, and while those are changing, the conventional "wisdom" is that if outside air is allowed to pass through the space, it will keep the space dry.

Rainy Day Basement Systems has the solutions you need for a dry basement in crawl space. if you live in the Oak Harbor, WA area and would like a FREE dry crawl space or basement estimate, call or contact us by e-mail today!

Ask yourself these three questions:

Who is paying to condition to air I'm blowing out of my home?
When it's raining or humid outside, how dry can that air keep my space?
If venting crawl spaces and basements works, why are they still rotting and growing mold?

To put it simply: venting basements and crawl spaces does not work.

Problem 1: Vented Basements and Crawl Spaces Mean Money out the Window

Drafty Crawl Space Door

Except on the most pleasant days, you won't want the air outside your home to be the same temperature as the air inside.

You pay a lot of money to cool your summer air and heat your air in the winter.

If you have a fan in your basement or crawl space that pulls air from that home and sends it outside, then the air that you paid to condition is literally going out the window.

Even if that fan is energy-efficient, this method cannot effectively dry your basement or crawl space enough to make it worth your increased utility bills.

If you have a vented crawl space and do not seal the vents in the winter, then you're inviting cold air into your home. As the cold air enters, it will immediately cool down all warm things in your crawl space, including heating ducts, hot water pipes, water heaters, and furnaces. While these utilities are working harder to maintain their temperature, the cold will rise upwards, cooling your floorboards and creating an uncomfortable, drafty home.

Problem 2: The Air You Vent Your Home with is Not Dry

A Grated Basement Window Opening in Shoreline that was Eventually Sealed Off After Leaking with Rainwater

If it's raining outside, how dry will the air in your basement or crawl space be? Not very, you can count on that.

And during a summer, when warm, humid air is pulled into the basement or crawl space, it's brought into below-grade space. This cools the air, and forces its relative humidity level to rise dramatically. For each degree the air is cooled, its relative humidity will rise approximately 2.2%. Once the air's relative humidity rises past 100%, the excess moisture will be deposited on all cold surfaces in the crawl space. That's not creating a drier home.

Also, letting humid air into your home in the summer will significantly affect your home's cooling efficiency. Air thick with humidity is harder for air conditioning units to cool, as part of the cooling system's job is to dehumidify the air. That's why air conditioners drip. More humidity means more work for the system, and more money for you to spend.

Problem 3: Venting Crawl Spaces Leads to Rot, Mold and Structural Issues

Crawl Space Walls Stained with Years of Flooding and Moisture

If crawl space vents worked, wouldn't the crawl space be dry?

Crawl space rot is a serious problem, and its repercussions can affect the entire home. Crawl spaces with rotting beams and wood will begin to sag, leading to dipping, uneven floors upstairs. Installing crawl space jacks will temporarily aid in supporting and reinforcing the structure, but sooner or later, the rot must be stopped to maintain structural integrity in the home.

Additionally, because air moves upward in the home as it warms, leaving out the attic and upper levels, some of the air in your home is pulled up through the basement and crawl space. If there are mold spores and dust mite waste in these spaces -- even when it's growing behind your drywall -- it will enter the air in your home.

Crawl space vents are also openings in your home that are very close to the ground. This leaves an open invitation for a wide variety of pests to come in and feast on your rotting wood, including termites, carpenter ants, and mice. Other creatures, such as snakes, spiders, and beetles, will also find this to be a comfortable home.

How to Properly Dry a Basement and Crawl Space

Basement With Vapor Barrier on Walls and Floor and Airtight Windows

An Encapsulated Crawl Space with Sealed Vents

Refer to the trinity of healthy below-grade spaces: Vapor Barriers, Dehumidification, and Inorganic Materials.

First, seal off all vents and close all windows. Then, install a plastic vapor barrier on the walls and floors in the basement or crawl space to keep moisture from passing through the concrete and entering into the space. Once the space is sealed, dehumidify the area to pull any remaining moisture from the space and to keep the area dry. If you're finishing the basement, follow up by using as many inorganic, waterproof materials as possible.

Additionally, vinyl basement windows are important, as they can keep drafts and leaking water from the space. And if you want to install an extra bonus, covered basement window wells can keep cold air away from the glass basement windows while also reflecting in valuable natural sunlight to cheer up the space.

A dry basement and/or crawl space means a healthier, more comfortable home. You'll save money on your home in energy-efficiency, and your home will be protected from structural damage due to mold and rot.

Rainy Day Basement Systems wants to help you create a dry basement and crawl space environment. If you live in or near the areas of Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Oak Harbor, Redmond, Everett, and Shoreline, call or e-mail us today for a FREE dry crawl space or basement estimate!

Does Humid Air Go Up or Down in My Washington Home? by Rainy Day Basement Systems

If humid air sinks, where do clouds and rain come from?

There are two classic arguments used to explain where humid air goes in a home in Bellingham, WA and the Northern Washington area.

Argument 1: Wet air is heavier than dry air. Ventilate and dehumidify the basement to solve this.

The idea here is that as air becomes humid in a home, it becomes heavier, causing it to sink down into the basement and lower levels of the home. Therefore, it will ventilate the basement with outside air to circulate this humid air out of the home and keep the basement dry.

Problem 1: Humid air is less dense than dry air.

Dense things sink and less dense things rise, right? Well, according to Isaac Newton, in his book Opticks, (and USA Today) humid air is actually LESS dense than dry air.

It makes sense. If humid air didn't rise, why would rain fall from the sky when the temperature drops?

So, in a home, humid air rises upward, not downward.

If humid air sinks, will this groundlevel vent keep the basement dry?

Problem 2: If humid air WAS denser than dry air, basement vents still wouldn't work.

Let's pretend for a minute that dry air IS lighter than wet air. Where are the vents going to be in the basement and crawl space? At ground level, right? If humid air did sink, wouldn't it flow downward into the basement through the vents?

Problem 3: Outside air isn't always dry.

If it's raining, humid, or damp outside, how dry will ventilated outside air make your basement? Not very, right? And what happens to your utility bills if you're venting cold air into the home in the winter, or hot air in the summer? You can count on some heavy utility bills.

We seal this air out of our home because we don't want it in the house.

Argument 2: Sealing off the outside air and dehumidifying the space will keep it dry.

Other basement contractors will seal off the area from outside air as much as possible. Once the space has been isolated from the outside, they will install a dehumidifier to remove any extra humidity and to maintain the proper humidity level in the future.

To seal off the space, all vents in basements and crawl spaces must be sealed. Crawl space doors and entrances should create an airtight seal when closed to keep out outside air.

Is this vent keeping the basement dry and mold-free?

Moisture can also pass continually through the porous concrete, mortar, or dirt, entering a basement or crawl space straight through the walls and floors.

Along with the moisture, water brings a white, powdery mineral salt called efflorescence. If you seal the walls with a paint, this salt will build up behind the seal, causing it to blister and peel.

Instead, mechanically fasten a sheet of plastic- at least 25 mil in thickness- to the walls. This will keep moisture out of the space, helping you fight mold and moisture damage in the home.

A dehumidifier is a great idea as well. Be sure to pick one that is self-draining, powerful enough for the entire space, and is Energy Star rated to keep your utility bills low while protecting your investment.

Dry Below-Grade Spaces

There's only one good way to keep your basement and crawl space dry: seal the space and install a dehumidifier. If you're interested in taking your basement to the next step, Rainy Day Basement Systems of Northern Washington would like to help you. We offer FREE basement and crawl space waterproofing and damproofing estimates in areas like Mount Vernon, WA. Call or contact us online today to get started!

Meridian Mall Home Improvement Show by Paulsons Construction

We will have a booth at the Meridian Mall Home Improvement Show on the following dates:

Friday, March 12, 2010 - 10:00 am - 9:00pm
Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sunday, March 14, 2010 - 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Come join us as we could answer any questions you may have in regards to your potential new project.

Sagging Crawl Space Support in California, Arizona, Nevada by EagleLIFT

A sagging crawl space can mean a sinking, uneven floor above, as well as leading to cracks in walls within your home. Sinking crawl spaces are also often a sign of rot in the crawl space, which can mean mold spores and odors are making their way into your home.

EagleLIFT in CA, AZ and NV has the solution for structural problems in crawl spaces, such as settling columns, sagging beams, or fatigued floor joints; all common in a crawl space. You need to repair your crawl space issue once and for all-- with adjustable stainless steel crawl space jacks.

Call us or Contact us online for fixing your sagging crawl space in California, Arizona and Nevada.

A sagging crawl space can occur in three ways:
1. The crawl space structural supports are sagging due to poor supporting soils underneath
2. The crawl space wood is rotting or experiencing damage and can no longer support the weight above
3. A combination of these two causes

Repairing your crawl space with concrete blocks, pre-cast concrete pillars, and other solutions creates a temporary solution that cannot adjust properly to future movement. Ripping out and rebuilding the crawl space isn't necessarily the best option for crawlspace repair. There are many installations that can be done in about a day that will both reinforce the structure and help return the floor to its original position.

Crawl Space Jacks

Crawl space jacks, such as the SmartJack provided by Foundation Supportworks, are adjustable metal columns that are easily and cost-effectively installed in a crawlspace.

Call us or Contact us online for installing crawl space jacks for your crawl space structural problems in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Save On Pest Control in Alabama, March Specials by Alabama Professional Services

Alabama Professional Services, Inc. is running the March Specials for pest control services in Alabama.

The Special includes :

1. Pest Plus: $30 for the Initial Treatment
and $75 per quarter. It includes inside and outside treatment.

2. Pest Perimeter: $30 for the Initial Treatment
and $65 per quarter. It includes outside treatment only.

This will be a one year contract.

Alabama Professional Services is the renowned and one of the largest pest control companies serving Alabama. The company services all of Alabama including greater Birmingham, Albertville, Montgomery.