Tools rusting in cellar

[JohnD]

or smokeless fuel

in a modern clean-burning multifuel stove, I think you will be permitted.

 

[homemove]

or smokeless fuel

in a modern clean-burning multifuel stove, I think you will be permitted.

Really? Well I'm certainly learning something new on here.

Look what you've done....you've got me started with your great ideas, ...What if I opened up this coal flap and used the hole to actually take out soil from the cellar and convert the basement to a proper room? Or is that wishful thinking?

 

[JBR]

Thanks for clarifying that guys, so now I can safely assume that it's definately a coal room.

I can't check it now as it's late, but there is no bolt on the inside, so how do I open it?

They slide upwards and pull out vertically...

unless they're rusted shut, of course!

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

I think that you have three main options :- one is to tank the cellar properly, so making it water tight, so your ventilation has only to deal with ordinary levels of dampness due to your breath. Two, building a lightweight "shed" inside the cellar, whose main claim to fame is that it is impervious to water vapour and has perhaps some insulation added and three. do what the Americans do, and that is realise that the water ingress can't be stopped so build a proper room on concrete foundations inside your cellar with a drainage channel between the two walls which ends up in a sump. Install a pump to periodically pump the water out of the sump into a local drain.
Frank

 

[homemove]

I think that you have three main options :- one is to tank the cellar properly, so making it water tight, so your ventilation has only to deal with ordinary levels of dampness due to your breath. Two, building a lightweight "shed" inside the cellar, whose main claim to fame is that it is impervious to water vapour and has perhaps some insulation added and three. do what the Americans do, and that is realise that the water ingress can't be stopped so build a proper room on concrete foundations inside your cellar with a drainage channel between the two walls which ends up in a sump. Install a pump to periodically pump the water out of the sump into a local drain.
Frank

Thank you Frank for your advice. Firstly, please accept my apologies for not replying sooner. Just had a lot on and haven't had the chance to go on the computer. I like the idea of building a proper room on concrete foundation and then installing a sump, but due to excessive costs, I may have to wait a good few years before I can go for this project.

 

[Robbie uk]

Any stove that is DEFRA approved can be used in smokeless zones. You are allowed to have a smokey chimney for 20 minutes to assist lighting until it gets up to temperature.

 

[homemove]

Any stove that is DEFRA approved can be used in smokeless zones. You are allowed to have a smokey chimney for 20 minutes to assist lighting until it gets up to temperature.

Oh I see. I wasn't aware of this.

Surely the stoves that give out very little smoke, won't be very powerful in kw?

Can you recommend any?

Also don't stoves require a lot of maintenance and cleaning out of chimneys every year?

 

[Robbie uk]

They can chuck out far more heat than you would ever need from 5kw upto 30 odd kw. They need to be fed with fuel obviously. Flue needs cleaning each year at a cost of about £60.
If you go onto the " Green living forum " and in the wood burning section you will find a world of info.

 

[homemove]

Hello everyone,

Sorry to bring up this old thread. The reason is that last night we had heavy rain and found that the cellar had been flooded with a couple of inches of water. This might explain why all along we've had high humidity and rusting of tools too. I'm hoping someone could now please help me find the source of where the water is coming from and advice what I need to do.

Thank you.

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Probably the perched water table. Unless you fancy tanking your entire cellar there's bugger all you can do about it.

 

[homemove]

Thanks gerry. It's a case of elimination. I'm just thinking if it's one of the following that are letting the water in:-

1. The outside Yorkshire stone staircase (basement's wall is just behind this) has a lot of pointing missing & 1 to 2 cm gaps.

2. There are three gulleys going around the house. Two gulleys collect only rain water and both of these are close to the basement walls.

 

[cjard]

You could pick up a submersible pump, pump it all out and see if it returns. If it does, even though it hasn't rained, then it's just the natural level of water in the ground...

 

[Nige F]

Aquifer troubles

 

[homemove]

Thanks for the recommendation cjard. The thing is, there is zero water when it's dry and even with the average rainfall we don't have any issues. I'm sure it will return unless I somehow find the source of the leak before that.

Couple of questions though...

1. Could this explain the high humidity and condensation in the house?

2. Can even houses on a high hill (mine is on a hill) have problems with water table or is it only properties on flat or low ground?

 

[Gerrydelasel]

During heavy rain you get a sort of temporary 'water table' in the softer upper soil layers, because rain is entering the top soil faster than it can drain into the deeper water table proper. The water level follows the topography of the ground, so can indeed temporarily flood cellars on hills.