Drying basement with injection #4 – Week 3 Infrared heating comes into play
Table of Content
In order to make the basement rooms of our over 100-year-old city villa usable, I first have to dry them out. The house is partially built into the slope. On the east side the basement floor is at ground level and on the west side about 200 cm below ground level.
I have already drained the eastern part of the cellar. Now it is the turn of the western part of the building. This time I let my camera run along to shoot short video films for my playlist“Drying out the basement“. But also here in the construction diary I would like to document the individual steps.
Workshop in damp basement
Over the winter I dedicate myself to the development of the basement rooms so that they become usable. A room of about 36sqm is to be converted into a workshop as my current workshop is simply too small.
Unfortunately, the basement is very damp and clammy and I fear that my tools and building materials would sooner or later suffer enormous damage. Therefore, it is only logical that I also completely dry this cellar first.
Here, as in other basement rooms, I relied on the injection method. In this process, a liquid is introduced into the walls so that they no longer absorb moisture.
You can also find the other parts of my project series via the search and via the “Similar amounts” section at the end of this entry.
Drying basement – #1 test drilling for the injection bottles.
Basement Drying #2 Intermediate Status after 1 Week | Injection Solution
Drying basement with injection – #3 intermediate status after 2 weeks
Drying basement with injection #4 – Week 3 Infrared heating comes into play
- SCHUTZ VOR FEUCHTIGKEIT - Novusan schützt Ihren Keller vor aufsteigender Feuchtigkeit & Nässe. Fehlt Ihrem Haus die Mauersperrbahn, schaffen Sie mit der Injektion nachträglich eine Abdichtung.
- WAND TROCKENLEGEN - Neben der Feuchtigkeits-Abwehr eignet sich die Injektionsflüssigkeit, um bereits vollständig durchfeuchtete Wände dauerhaft auszutrocknen. (5 Flaschen = 1m trockene Wand)
- FÜR JEDE FEUCHTE WAND - Die Horizontal-Sperre eignet sich für Lagerfügen in allen mineralischen Wänden (auch in Hohlwänden) - z.B. für Ziegel, Gitterstein, Sandstein, Hohlkammerstein uvm.
- EINFACHES ANBRINGEN - Das Einsetzen der Mauerwerkssperre ist auch Laien möglich - ohne schweres Gerät & Ausschachten: Löcher bohren, Flaschen einstecken, warten & die Wand verschließen!
- NOVUSAN by BKM.MANNESMANN - Für ein trockenes Zuhause! In unserem Sortiment finden Sie verschiedenste Produkte, um Ihr Zuhause von Feuchtigkeit zu befreien & nachhaltig zu schützen.
Video documentation on how to dry the basement
Also for the 4th part of my project series, there is a suitable video in my Youtube – playlist“Drying the basement“. Here you can directly convince yourself of the results of the drainage after 3 weeks.
Drying part 4 – intermediate status after three weeks
For 3 weeks, the injection fluid for masonry drying has been flowing into the walls. The bottles were now completely refilled with the injection solution a total of between 4 and 5 times.
As I wrote in the last post, I have now switched to not refilling the bottles daily. Instead, I just fill up the empty bottles. This way I can better monitor the saturation of the masonry.
In the meantime, there are also the first results. My measuring instruments are already showing the first changes. The humidity is slightly lower and the moisture in the bricks has also subsided.
Certainly, the results are highly dependent on room temperature and ventilation behavior, but a trend is emerging.
Use infrared heat for masonry drying?
At the beginning of the drying process, I had used my dryer and also my fan heater to assist. I had placed both devices directly in the direction of the particularly damp corner of the house.
In my opinion, the dry and warm air definitely favored the absorption of the liquid through the walls. The bottles emptied much faster at warm room temperatures than at cold temperatures.
However, this method has one major drawback: the electricity meter! While the dryer makes do with just under 500 watts per hour, the fan heater uses between 1,600 and 3,200 watts per hour. In continuous operation, costs of 15 euros per day or even 450 euros per month quickly add up.
So, despite PV system, it was not a solution.
So I put an infrared heater on the wall. The model I use requires only 600 watts per hour. In 24-hour continuous operation, this would cost a good 4 euros, or 120 euros per month. That was still a lot of money, but definitely less than the 450 euros with the fan heater and dryer.
But would this solution be of any use? – In a nutshell – No, it’s no use!
- LEISTUNGSSTARK - Die Viesta F600 Infrarotheizung sorgt mit einer Heizleistung von 600 W für wohlige und angenehme Wärme in jedem Raum.
- EINFACHE INSTALLATION - Die elektrischen Heizpaneele müssen lediglich an eine Steckdose angesteckt werden und an Ihren Wunschort montiert werden.
- ENERGIEEFFIZIENT - Mit der hochwertigen Wandheizung von Viesta sparen Sie enorme Energiekosten im Verhältnis zu herkömmlichen Heizungen.
- CARBON CRYSTAL-TECHNOLOGIE - Dank der neusten Technologie erreicht die elektrische Heizplatte einen besonders hohen Wirkungsgrad.
- INKL. HERSTELLERGARANTIE - Der Hersteller Viesta sichert Ihnen zusätzlich eine Garantie von zwei Jahren.
Why infrared heating failed
Unlike a classic heater, the infrared heater does not work with convection heat. Thus, it does not radiate heat in the actual sense as does a stove or a normal radiator.
Infrared heating, as the name suggests, emits radiation in the infrared range. This radiation itself has no “heat”. But the irradiated materials are excited by the radiation and slowly heat up.
In this way, the illuminated wall or the illuminated door itself becomes a heater which then emits convection heat. Decisive here is certainly also the thermal capability of the illuminated object.
Obviously, the amount of energy from the infrared radiation was not enough to heat the walls. The water content in the masonry was probably simply (still) too high. Or in other words, the performance of the infrared heater was simply too weak.
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Next steps to dry the basement
I am writing this post a good year after the actual test with infrared heating. So I can draw a conclusion quite well in the meantime.
I have since refrained from taking any additional measures. The cellar room was simply well ventilated and the bottles refilled until they no longer gave off any liquid on a weekly basis.
The values have since improved significantly and leveled off at values of 70% relative humidity. The value on my test stone has gone down to 0.8. The whole thing has remained at these values for a few weeks now.
My visitors/guests who follow the project have confirmed a strong improvement. Since I’m in the basement practically every day, I don’t notice it myself as much as my sporadic guests.
I have since removed the false ceiling to the basement. In the article“Renovate basement ceiling – replace steel beams” you will find some details and of course the matching video.
Furthermore I installed a pump sump in the basement and also made a video for my playlist Playlist for the drainage recorded.
So I am confident that the drainage will also work in this basement.
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