Deal with old cistern before selling house
Q: I have a ranch house that I bought in 1997. At the time, I discovered it had a moisture problem with black mold. I took care of the mold and did research and cleaned it up.
So I have used dehumidifiers 24 hours a day, one in the basement and one on the entry level. This house had an old cistern in the basement, which was no longer in use when I bought the house. It's built with cinderblocks in a rectangle form against the corner wall. Now I am planning to move and I need help with how to resolve the moisture issue. The only thing I can think of is to waterproof the corner walls where the cistern was built. It is the only area of the basement not waterproofed as far as I can tell.
Do you think this would resolve the issue? What do you recommend?
A: From what you describe, I definitely think the old cistern is where your moisture problems are stemming from. The type of construction you mention would allow a lot of groundwater to seep into the cistern, and from there would easily migrate into the house. So as to your first question, dealing with the cistern would almost certainly resolve the issue.
Your second question is much harder to answer because there are a lot of variables to consider. Without actually seeing the situation, I can't give you an exact course of action, but I would suspect that the cistern will first need to be filled in, then covered with concrete or some other solid, impermeable material, and then waterproofed.
Again, I can't tell you the exact steps to take here. I would suggest that you contact a general contractor or an excavation contractor who's experienced in basement waterproofing issues, and then go from there.
As a seller, remember also
that you'll need to disclose all these issues to a future buyer. That includes the cistern, the moisture issues, and the mold, even though you've gotten them all resolved. Failure to do so could open you up to some serious liability issues down the road.
Q: I have a bath vent that is not being used. Can I use it to vent my dryer? The dryer's currently vented in the garage, and it's too hot.
A: Most likely not. A dryer needs a smooth-wall, metal, 4-inch duct for venting. Many bath fans use 3-inch flex duct, and have an in-line damper. Even larger fans that use 4-inch duct still probably have either flex duct or a damper that will impede the flow from the dryer.
The second issue is that if your current vent is too hot, then there's probably something wrong with the dryer itself, or with the existing vent. You need to have an experienced technician check that out.