Damp basement

Hello

Unfortunately, the walls in the basement are damp. The reason is probably moisture entering from outside. Therefore, a horizontal barrier will likely be the right solution here. Now I wanted to ask if anything can also be done in terms of ventilation. At the moment, the basement is not equipped with any ventilation.

Thank you very much

Hello swissmaker, It can be assumed that a modern basement has been sealed from the outside; if this sealing has a leak, the basement exterior wall will only be damp at exactly this spot.

If the walls are damp over a large area, it may be due to condensation. Is there an open connection between the ground floor and the basement, simply a staircase - without a tightly closing door? Then the basement air could warm up and condense on the relatively cold basement walls. A horizontal barrier alone would not help much with an unsealed basement exterior wall; it must be sealed vertically - the exterior walls completely from the top to the foundation.

But first you should look at, "How does the moisture appear?": - over a large area on all basement walls - in spots - only on the exterior walls - on the exterior walls especially in the floor area up to approx. 1.0m height - especially at the transition floor/wall

I have to agree with Hertweck, moisture does not always mean a defective [Horizontalsperre]. However, it is almost always advisable to install a [Horizontalsperre] alongside the vertical sealing. Often it is also helpful to have an expert analyze the causes and suggest possible solutions. Although costs arise in advance this way, they are generally well invested before taking the wrong measures.