Waterproofed Conditioned Basement Impact on Cooling Load
john_m1
| Posted in Green Building Techniques on
I and an account, but am only an FHB member for I can’t comment or ask a question.
There is a busy thread regarding dimple mats.
Would the use of dimple mats or dry basement techniques be considered part of green building? Seems that the basement accounts for an outsized portion of the sensible load during cooling season. If I get that moisture out of the house don’t I get lasting benefits in terms of reduced latent load not only in the basement but throughout the house, assuming the basement is within thermal envelope?
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I think most here would agree that a properly constructed basement is a green building technique.
I feel that dimple mats are way, way oversold. They have one use, which is providing a drainage plane for stormwater so it can be directed to a drain for removal. But they're pitched to consumers as having miraculous powers to cure all basement moisture issues.
I've never tried measuring if reducing humidity like this makes a noticeable reduction in A/C load or not. What you WILL notice is increased comfort due to lower humidity levels.
I agree with DC about dimple mats: they are useful when you have bulk water problems, but that's about it. I used dimple mat on the interior of one wall that weeps on occasion, and there was no otherway to deal with the problem. I have the dimple mat against the inside of the block wall with the top edge sealed to the block and the lower edge open (to drain into a drain), then rigid insulation over that. I use a simple poly membrane in other areas where I don't have to deal with bulk water drainage.
If you don't have bulk water problems ("bulk" here means running, flowing water, not just moisture), then a simple polyethylene liner is sufficient.
Bill
Appreciate the thoughtful comments. We are about a mile off the DesPlaines river here in the midwest. There is some flooding and lots of complaints about wet basements. Flooding is often conflated with seepage.