Cold basement ?
 

I just moved into a new house (new to me), and have noticed the the basement is very cold, like 63-64 degrees.

House was built in 2012, and is very well insulated, extremely good quality double pane windows. The basement is completely 'finished', and includes a huge living area, bedroom and bathroom.

I've noticed that the basement seems to be very damp, almost 'clamy' !
There's a whole house humidifier tied into the gas furnace, and assume it's working OK....

Any thoughts on what's going on here ?

For twenty dollars, last fall, the Plymouth Walmart was selling heated, electric blanket throws, about 4x6', in red or blue plaid that plug into a wall outlet, and have three settings, low-med-high, that turns itself off after an hour, if you fall asleep or something. Could be the best 20-bucks ever spent for surviving the long NH winter.

Or, just go to your local thrift store and get a good wool sweater for four dollars.

It doesn't sound like the basement cement walls were well insulated. The ground is keeping it cool and damp. Most people like a cool basement in the summer but it will be cold in the winter. Since the basement is already finished I'm not sure what can be done inexpensively. Spray foam insulation works great on basement walls but that would require a lot of work now.
I had an unfinished basement sprayed with 3" of foam and it made quite a difference. It's been one of the best improvements that I've done since buying it and I've done quite few. I'm going to get the garage done next year.

If you run a dehumidifier, I think that you will find that it will not only remove the dampness, but it will make it feel quite a bit warmer. I run mine year round, although in the winter, the air is generally pretty dry so it doesn't run all that frequently.

get a dehumidifier
 

The whole house humidifier is for the winter when the heater raises the temperature and drops the relative humidity - doesn't do anything to help with damp basement air, and if anything could make it worse if it is actually on in the summer. Get a de-humidifier and run that. We have one in our basement running all the time, and makes it much better. As for the temperature, does your heater/AC also have a zone for the basement? If not, you may need to address that separately so it is warm enough in the winter.

Thanks everyone for your comments......

I'll install a portable humidifier in the basement, and hope to see if this helps, I will report back to all.

I LOVE THIS FORUM !!!!!!! :)

De-humidifier!

There are dehumidifers available with built in pumps, so if a gravity drain is not an option, you can pump up to an available drain or outside. We have one and it does the job without having to emply the tank.

I put a dehumidifier in a basement that was always damp. It made a huge difference.

Instead of using a pump system or constantly emptying the tank I mounted it on a shelf above the outside grade and ran a hose through the wall so it can constantly drain and requires no attention.

+1. Exactly what I do as well. The difference is immediately noticeable. I have mine draining into our sump pump hole.

Definately look at either a pump or location to gravity the water away because you will soon be tired of emptying that tank everyday and if you dont empty it a switch will shut it off.

We have a house that was also build in 2012. But we went with an ICF foundation (insulated concrete forms...simply stated, insulated forms that stay in place after the pour). Our basement stays a consistent 62-65 degrees all year.

In the winter, this actually helps with the heating as we gain some level of ground heat. We also have a wood stove there which makes it nice and toasty when in use.

In the summer, it's natural air conditioning. We run a DE-humidifier, and with the consistent 62-65 degrees, feels like nicely air-conditioned rooms. When it isn't so humid, we can open up the windows and doors (it's a walk-out basement) and it rises to the ambient outdoor temp.

I use a dehumidifier year 'round. I hardly ever hear it come on in the winter though. It definitely cuts down the musty smell that was there when I moved in.

So far as being cold... Enjoy it in the summer. If you don't have central AC, you might be able to get your furnace system adjusted to cycle that cold air into the upper levels with just a fan setting. If you do, I definitely advise a dehumidifier and premium air filters.

In the winter you will do better with a heat source at floor level. If your vents are all in the ceiling you will need to ducting to get them to floor level or add baseboard heaters or even small space heaters. I sometimes use those heater cubes to warm a trailer I use for a guest house. I estimate it costs $1 a day so these things are quite effective. Those oil filled radiators are the least effective heater I ever had because they have have no circulation and they take forever to warm up even the smallest area.

I also got a boost by opening the filter access panel in my furnace to draw in some of the cellar air the same way the cold air returns bring floor level air from the main level to be reheated. I also added a small filter over the opening but it was probably not necessary.

Good luck!

Another vote for using a dehumifier in the basement in summer. And of course it's cooler down there because the ground below the surface is gradually cooler, approaching deep ground temperature with depth, somewhere near 50 F. The dehumidifier is needed for your health and the building's, because that basement temperature, in the low to mid 60s, is below the dew point of summer air much of the time. Cool that air to near its dew point and you've got near 100% relative humidity, and that's the reason it feels clammy. Condensation on/absorption by the walls and floor leads to that musty basement smell common to many homes, and to mold.

It's possible that the basement walls, if insulated at all behind the "finishing," weren't insulated properly, but have fiberglass batts up against the concrete. Here is a good read on how a basement should be insulated:

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...-basement-wall

Be careful about how you use that whole house humidification system (or did you mean DE-humification?). Adding moisture to interior air in winter can cause problems. In most cases, a house with excessively dry air in winter is a house that leaks far too much air. Such a house could stand a good blower-door-directed air sealing effort. Here are a couple of good reads on that issue:

https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/...or-air-quality

https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/...s-Infiltration

Most forced hot air systems will have a humidifier attached to the supply plenum.

Same here....walk out basement with dehumidifier that dumps into sump pump well.
Washer,dryer,workspace and downstairs bedroom are always cool.dry and comfortable even in the most humid weather.

I did the same thing. I never have to water my rose bushes in the summer. The only drawback for me is I have to run multiple units, the footprint of my house is 40x30 with multiple rooms in the basement.