# Help waterproofing old basement coal room



## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

when I bought my house 6 years ago I decided to make an old coal room underneath the porch a storage area for important stuff, family heirlooms, pictures, and also an area to fix stuff, build rods, etc. The previous owner had put a thin layer of grey Drylok that was applied with rollers on the walls and ceiling. No water leaks into the room but during the summer it gets a little humid in there, and during the winter there are a couple of the outer facing corners in the ceiling that form a thin layer of ice when I have the heat on. I noticed this summer there was some mold forming in those corners and I bought a dehumidifier and put it in the room. The ice still forms but as soon as it starts melting the dehumidifier dries it up. Was thinking about buying a couple 5 gallon buckets of Drylok and completely redoing the room and put a really thick layer on the concrete, but wondering how the water is forming in those corners in the first place. Is it seeping through the concrete, or is it Moisture condensing from the air in those corners and then freezing? 

Opinions and suggestions appreciated!


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

My dad Drylocked their coal room which was also right under a concrete slab porch. We called it the bomb cellar though, lol. It did help a lot. I think he primed the walls with something first, though.


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## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

We call it the safe room, in the event of a tornado, nuke attack, or whatever it's the safest place in the house. it is all concrete except for the glass block window and a small wood door.


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

If the porch above is dry, then its condensed moisture from the air. Warm air + cold concrete = wet. A small fan moving air would probably help a lot.


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

I need to move to the seven three four wherever that is....


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

How dry is it outside? Is roof or downspout water ever pooling around the porch?

I have a room like that, too, under the front porch slab. As you say, it's the safest place to go in a tornado.


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## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

chadwimc said:


> If the porch above is dry, then its condensed moisture from the air. Warm air + cold concrete = wet. A small fan moving air would probably help a lot.


That's what I was leaning towards. Was also thinking about gluing some styrofoam insulation sheets to the ceiling and about the top 2 feet of the walls as soon as it warms up again this spring. Just doing some research now as to what is actually causing this. Where the ice and moisture forms is the very front of the porch, the furthest away from the house. Soon as we get a good thaw and it rains again I'm going to see how the water pools in those areas


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## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

JamesT said:


> I need to move to the seven three four wherever that is....


Lol, I Drive truck and snagged a few of those in Michigan, they are everywhere on the street corners. As a joke in the middle of the night I put them on some friends front lawns


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## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

montagc said:


> x2. Keep the door open and air moving. You could do without the dehumidifier if there is proper air circulation.
> 
> I would not glue sheet insulation to the walls if you are having condensation issues. that will just compound the problem. The condensation will just occur behind the board and trap moisture, causing further mold/mildew issues.


I tried that for a couple years, since we have a humidifier built into the furnace that we use during the winter it makes it even more damp in there. By leaving the door open water will actually bead up over the whole surface of the ceiling, many times I had to go in there and wipe it down with towels before it dripped on stuff.


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## 1basshunter (Mar 27, 2011)

if it was me I would put the dry lock on and then paint it with an epoxy paint before I would insulated it


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## flyman01 (Jan 23, 2013)

Is that a 6 pack of Who Dey Beer I see on the shelf? Have not seen that around in a long time.


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## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

flyman01 said:


> Is that a 6 pack of Who Dey Beer I see on the shelf? Have not seen that around in a long time.


lol yup. unopened too! ive got all kinds of crap in that room. I figured I am going to go ahead and dry lock it real good with a couple new coats of paint. It gets pretty humid in there in the summer also so I think there is some type of humidity / moisture seeping through somewhere. all but about a foot of that room is underground


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## flyman01 (Jan 23, 2013)

LOL, I used to collect beer cans a while back, recognized that one right away.
We lived in a house in East Dayton 25 years ago off Shroyer Road, had the old coal room like yours and I made it into a wood shop/safe area. Brings back the memories.


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