help! damp smelly cellar

[disasterdiy]

I have a terraced house with a damp cellar. As this time of year water rises to a level of about 1 foot, and remains stagnant and smelly. I have opened up the coal hatch to ventilate and installed a sump pump, but this has not solved the problem.
Someone has suggested a dehimidifier may work - but if the cellar is ventilated will this help?
I do not have a great deal of money to spend, can anyone suggest a solution to my problem?
Many thanks

 

[mattylad]

I had similar in mine, I have used several dehumidifiers to pull the water out, filled buckets over the weeks.

Join your local Freecycle or Realcycle groups and post a "wanted" for a dehumidifier, someone may have one they no longer want/need & will give it away.

 

[JohnD]

water rises to a level of about 1 foot,

this seems like a bigger problem than a dehumidifier will deal with. Where is the water coming from? What is the cellar floor made of? What do you use the cellar for? What are your neighbours cellars like? What is the appearance and odour of the water? What is the soil like? Are you on a hill? How does the water level change with the weather?

p.s. a dehumidifier wil not dry the air in a ventilated room - it tries to dehumidify the world. Ventilation will do the job far cheaper

 

[disasterdiy]

Thank you. The neighbours have similars probs. They tell me it started when new houses were built not far away - a pond was filed in, and it looks as if that water is now finding its way into my cellar. We are on a slight hill. The water is quite dirty - smell like sulphur. Not sure what floor is made of. don't use cellar for anything and have no intention of doing so! Water gets worse when it rains - over the summer months it's bad, but no probs in winter (when I bought the house).

 

[JohnD]

decide if the cellar floor is concrete, brick or earth.

It is possible to put in a new concrete floor with damp proof membrane (sheet of thick polythene) which will stop water coming up through the floor, but if the neighbours cellars are wet it will then percolate through the walls which is extra work. It is possible to fold the polythene up the walls and build a new wall off the slab to prevent it being pushed in, or to use a system that funnels the water into a trough that you pump out. This gets more expensive.

There is a considerable possibility that the water is coming from a broken drain or downpipe from your house or a neighbour. If the water smelt of soap or sewage it would certainly be a drain. Broken drains can often be identified because the ground around then will sink, and concrete paths may fall into the hole (this is because the water washes the soil away). look at any yard gullies you have for signs of cracking or leaking. I and my neighbours all suffered from this when I lived in a prewar house on clay soil. I noticed it when I was digging a new patio and the excavation filled with water when my neighbour pulled his bath plug out.

Keep good ventilation which will reduce dampness rising into the rest of the house. Several air bricks at front and rear will give an air flow, which you need. Insulate any pipes with Climaflex or similar thick (BS grade) lagging..

Contact your local water authority and complain (there is a chance they might be able to help) and if you are sure the cause is not your responsibility, try the local authority as there may be a health/sanitation issue.