For the winter, clogged in glass jars.

We define with terms

The problem of dampness, high humidity, and even the flooding is one of the most common among owners of their own house with a basement and cellar. Therefore, before looking for effective methods of struggle, it is worth determining: and with what, in fact, fight?

• Humidity

The cellar is a special structure. It is impossible to approach it with the usual standards. What is good for a person is far from always suitable for reserves stored in the cellar. If the normal humidity is 65% for people, then for most vegetables and fruits, humidity is 70% critical - they begin to wither, dry, lose useful substances and, in the end, are poorly stored. The optimal mode is different for different fruits, but if there is no possibility to organize individual storage facilities, it is advisable to maintain the level of air humidity in the cellar within 85-90%.

Do not rely on your own sensations, use the device to control the level of humidity. Air humidity is measured psychrometrans and hygrometers. The simplest psychrometer can be made independently of two alcohol thermometers. And for convenience, you can purchase a small meteorological station with remote sensors of temperature and humidity - then it is not necessary to regularly dive into the cellar to control the instrument readings.

• Dampness

If water is cooked in the cellar on the walls, the corners were covered with a gray-black velvet of the mold, then the device is not necessary to understand: in the premises of the repository excessive dampness. Before looking for ways to eliminate the problem, try to determine the cause.

You can get primary information, for example, by the method of device test holes. True, this test is possible only if the floor is earthenly.

Drop small pits (about the size of the bucket) in the cellar next to the walls and regularly observe them. If the bottom will start to mock the bottom, then, most likely, groundwater Stand high. It may happen that the water will appear at the bottom of not all test pits, but only in some: this indicates that under the cellar flows underground stream.

When the moisture seeps on the side of the external (facing the street) walls of the pit - most likely, it penetrate surface waters, rain or melt water. Well, in case the water evenly moistened the inner surface of the fossa - it should be assumed condensate.

• Flooding

Water regularly appears in your cellar, it costs a member on the floor - this is the hardest case. Perhaps there are violations in construction technology or just unsuccessfully selected place. And it is possible to cope with the problem in this case only by radically removing the reason - that is, rebuilding the cellar.

Now, when it was determined that the humidity in the cellar must be maintained within 80-95%, with dampness - to fight, and the question with regular flooding of a vegetable store is worth solving dramatically, consider some methods.

Eliminate the reason, and do not struggle with the investigation

Whatever the scale of the presence of excess water in the cellar, you need to eliminate the cause, and not permanently produce some kind of work, buying the latest means for or eliminating mold. It is much more efficient and cheaper if you count how much money you will spend on the struggle. Yes, and their own forces - only it seems that they do not stand anything.

We arrange ventilation

The presence of the system is a prerequisite for the correct functioning of the cellar. It must be the system - with an influx and hood. The bottom of the supply pipe is placed at a height of 150-200 mm from the floor, and the hole is exhaust - under the ceiling. It is desirable that the supply and exhaust pipes are separated into different angles: so that the air flows are washed out with the entire room.

Ventilation pipes need not to be frozen in winter, as well as supply condensate collectors and valves. The valves are used to possibly reduce air flow in winter so as not to cool the cellar in the frost too much.

For efficient ventilation, it is necessary to properly select the section of the air ducts - depending on the size of the room. And if the pipes are already installed, but smaller than you need, diameter, the position will correct a small fan. If a fan model with humidity sensor, then it will be turned on automatically.

Ventilation will help to cope with many problems of excess water in the cellar: settled moisture, eliminating excessive dampness, will prevent the formation of mold and will help to dry the flooded cellar faster.

We assign water

To get rid of the rain and melting water penetrating into the cellar, they make around the cellar. The device of the scene must be as follows to the water flowing from the roof rods from the cellar walls. And, of course, the right winking is delivered waterproofing Total facilities.

To prevent the penetration of groundwater, the floor of the cellar is waterproof. One of the stages of waterproofing - a device of a gravel pillow, disseminating soil capillary. Sometimes it happens that at first the cellar was dry, and after some time the groundwater began to rise. If the floor is a cellar of an earthen, then you can create an additional gravel dump by removing some of the soil and replacing it with a rammed gravel.

If the site is located in the swampy terrain and get rid of water with waterproofing, it is not possible, the only way is to make a cellar in a plastic or metal caisson. Although in this case it will still have to fight condensate and high humidity.

If the water droplets accumulate on the ceiling of the cellar - this is condensate. So, overlaps are not insufficient enough. It is possible to fix it, additionally insulating the ceiling of the cellar.

We use hygroscopic materials

Reduce excessive humidity can materials that can absorb moisture. The natural regulator of humidity is clay, but today in the cellars do not often make global floors and use clay plaster on the walls.

The replacement of the clay finish can serve as a box with lime or a decent salt bag. Coals and also good adsorbents. True, they will perform their function limited time: while all the lime does not react with water or so far salt or ash do not absorb the maximum amount of moisture. The whirlwind of the walls of the cellar lime not only disinfects, but also reduces humidity.

Achievements of household appliances - in the cellar

It is possible to solve the problem of humidity and with the help of the achievements of modern techniques - by installing a household air dryer in the cellar. You just need to not forget from time to time to drain the accumulated condensate if the model does not have a sewage connection.

Properly exploit the cellar

So that the vegetables are well kept, the correct exploitation of the cellar is important. Before the start of the new season of storage, the room is cleaned from the remnants of old fruits, mold, if it appeared. Racks and boxes can be washed with a solution of formalin or copper mood. If possible, the inventory should put in the sun to destroy the microbes. If you find the container and the shelves from the cellar fails, you can make quartzing with the help of an ultraviolet lamp.




Disinfection is carried out and with a smoke sulfur checker or lime vapors. After processing, the cellar is required to thoroughly venture and dry. There is one subtlety here: it is logical to suggest that dry the cellar is better in the middle of the summer, when it is the hottest weather, and many do it. But in summer a lot of moisture in warm air. When warm air gets inside the cool moisture cellar contained in it, condensed on the walls, on the contrary, the moisturizing cellar.

To ventilate and dry the storage should be then when the outdoor temperature and temperature in the cellar are equal, that is, closer to the fall. And since at this time the weather can be rainy, to speed up the process, you can use the heater or put a bucket with smudge coal in the cellar.

Vegetables laid by storage should be dry. And it is desirable that their temperature also did not differ much from the one that in the cellar. If the product temperature is higher or below the temperature in the repository, condensate will be accumulated on potatoes, pumpkins, carrots and other vegetables - it will increase the humidity of the cellar.

The correct storage device for the supplies, careful preparation at the end of summer and the control over the condition of the cellar in the winter will retain the crust in integrity. You will not have to disappointly throw away half of the harvest, which was raised, but did not manage to save.