High humidity...Updated with pics.

[pierce652]

I am brand new here and havent even made my first batch thanks to the snow keeping the wine making shops closed.


I have a wine cellar under my living room which is completely underground with the walls, floor and ceiling made of poured concrete. The temp stays between 50 and 70 year round but the humidity can elevate up to 90%, which is where its at now.


Will the high humidity damage wines stored or will it just deteriorate the labels?


Im not planning on having fancy labels but if there is any solution to preserving them Id like to hear options.

 

[Tom]

I would be concerned with mold getting in the corks. You may think of getting a dehumidifier for that room. The % is to high.

 

[grapeman]

When they built it there probably was no vapor barrier installed in the floor or walls. A de-humidifier should take care of it quite well. The temps should stay a bit more stable also. Some point in the future you could lay PT sill plates and stud the walls. Be sure to put in a vapor barrier and insulate well. It would then work very well. Nice that you have a dedicated room to use!

 

[Wade E]

The correct humidity should be around 70%. Any higher and you will want to run a humidifier down there as stated above. A small 1 from Walmart will work fine as thats what I do but I only need mine in the extreme summer.

 

[pierce652]

Thanks for the replys, I know the humidity is high and I will have to address that when the time comes. Right now I have a digital thermometer / hydrometer down there measuring. It has a memory function which shows the high and low of temp and humidity.


One think I cant figure out is even though its showing such a high humidity it doesnt feel overly wet and there is no mold on the floor, ceiling or walls.


A side note, for humidors they sell beads which both give humidity and absorb. There are two types of beads one for 65% humidity and one for 70%. Seems like a great solution but I cant imagine how many beads Id need for a room this size. I just measured it and took some pictures (I will add a link to these in a few minutes). It measures 13x18 feet and the ceiling is 6.5 feet tall.


Here is the link to the cellar pics...remember I havent been down there in 7 years so it needs to be cleaned up a bit.


http://community.webshots.com/album/570354698mStzNx?vhost=community&action=refreshPhotos&albumID=570354698&security=mStzNx

 

[Wade E]

Is that just efflorescence on the upper walls or is it mold? I would get the Permaflex or Enduro Seal or something like that to stop water vapors from coming in. It will also brighten the place up as they are both white products like a new coat of paint. </span></font>

 

[pierce652]

Its not mold...I had to look up what efflorescence meant, LOL, and it appears that is what it is. Like a chalky grit that flakes off when touched.


I checked for mold while I was down there, running my hand along the walls and ceiling and came away clean. The bit of mold on the floor is from the wooden ladder which can be replaced. It would be easy enough for a dehumidifier to be wired down there.

 

[Wade E]

It is excess calcium coming through which is carried by water vapor or
even worse water so you may have water problems down there so you will
want to seal it as good as possible. That is what my basement looked
like when i bought it and then spring came and it looked like this.

 

[pierce652]

I just went back down there and lookedagain. There is an area 2 feet by 4 feet that is wet to the touch. On the outside this is a low spot against the house. If I useeither the permaflex or enduroseal would it prevent the water from comming altogether? You just rollit on like paint right?


Wade, is that actually water shooting up from the floor?

 

[Wade E]

As for rolling on, yes. As for water shooting up through the concrete floor, yes. It costed me about $6,200 to get my basement dry but its worth it as Ive finished 3/4 of the basement and its appraisal with that done and a few other things has almost tripled what we bought it for even with at this stage of the housing economy.There were actually a few of these natural springs in our floor among many other side tricklers. We do have a walkout basement though so it never got deep but it did have a nasty undertow!

 

[Wade E]

Im not sure it is for exterior use, there are probably better products for exterior use like tar or something.

 

[pierce652]

Sorry, didnt mean I was going to apply it to the outside of the house, I was saying that the wet wall is a low spot in the yard so the water seems to be collecting on the outside of that wall....ahhh nevermind, its too confusing. LOL

 

[Wade E]

As long as the inner wall is dry then you could do it as long as the temps are right for application.