deadtetra Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Hello, I am hoping someone can shed some light on this stuff for me. I don't know what it is, or if I should be concerned about it... I have a basement, split into two sections by a block wall, one half finished, the other half not. On all of the outside walls, white fluffy stuff began appearing several months ago. Curios about it I researched on the internet and learned of efflorescence, and passed it off as such. Although recently I began discovering this stuff in places I wouldn't expect, according to what I've read on efflorescence, from what I gathered it only appears on block of brick. I am finding it on wood studs and rafters, and even on the concrete floor... Is it typical of efflorescence to appear on wood and concrete floors? If not what else could this stuff be? I am concerned although it hasn't appeared to be causing any adverse health effects on my family (although it hasn't been disturbed either). Or am I wrong about this being efflorescence at all? Could this be some kind of mold? One of the pics I attached actually shows the stuff on a wall that is inside (no earth on the other side) which also confused me, I thought efflorescence was cause by moisture draging the minerals in block to the surface of the block, but this is an inside wall that as far as I can tell is always dry... If anyone can shed some light on this for me it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, -jay Click to Enlarge 46.16?KB Click to Enlarge 30.74?KB Click to Enlarge 72.97?KB Click to Enlarge 21.82?KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 If it tastes salty and I bet it does, it's efflorescence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 It's efflorescence. The moisture moves through the masonry or concrete carrying soluble minerals with it. If there's a piece of wood or drywall touching the masonry or concrete, the water moves through that as well and the minerals build up on the surface where the water evaporates. At your interior wall, the moisture is probably rising up from the floor via capillary action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadtetra Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks for the info! I guess my next question then would be, should I be worried that efflorescence is showing up in so many places? The pics I posted is just a fraction of what is actually there, is it a sign of a problem I should resolve or is it perfectly natural? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Simon Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks for the info! I guess my next question then would be, should I be worried that efflorescence is showing up in so many places? The pics I posted is just a fraction of what is actually there, is it a sign of a problem I should resolve or is it perfectly natural? If this is a recent occurence, with no problems in prior years, then you have a new area of moisture intrusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadtetra Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 In one area, yes we've had many problems with leaks and such... In other sections (i.e the wall on the complete opposite side of the basement) I don't recall a leak ever being where this stuff is appearing... And as far as recent or not it was the beginning of the summer we began noticing the stuff appear, and it's spread fairly quickly ever since. At this point I think I'm just going to clean it off and wait to see if it emerges again... Thanks a lot for your help!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks for the info! I guess my next question then would be, should I be worried that efflorescence is showing up in so many places? The pics I posted is just a fraction of what is actually there, is it a sign of a problem I should resolve or is it perfectly natural? The two are not mutually exclusive. That is, problems are often the result of natural processes. Whether or not it's a problem depends on your expectations. Is this a damp hole-in-the-ground kind of basement or is it something that you fancy to be a finished space? Efflorescence itself causes no harm. It's merely a symptom of water movement. If you'd like to reduce or eliminate the issue, keep the soil around your house dry. To that end, perfect your gutter/downspout/drain system to ensure that every drop of water that lands on your roof gets carried far away from the house. Then alter the grading in your yard so that the soil slopes away from the house. If you irrigate, adjust the distribution and timing of your irrigation cycles to put only the amount of water that you need near the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 In one area, yes we've had many problems with leaks and such... In other sections (i.e the wall on the complete opposite side of the basement) I don't recall a leak ever being where this stuff is appearing... That's because this stuff is soluble in water. If there's an actual liquid-water leak going on, the water washes away the efflorescence. In order for you to get the white crystals, the water has to seep through the wall and evaporate at the surface. If the water actually runs down the wall, it takes the minerals with it. At this point I think I'm just going to clean it off and wait to see if it emerges again... There is no change without change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Moore Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Some of the framing wood looks very "fresh" so I'm curious how old the home is. A little more history of the house (age, mods, etc), and the OP's occupancy, might be helpful in guessing if this is could be a chronic problem or one that recent events have caused. A wide angle shot or two of the exterior would also be nice. Just sayin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadtetra Posted January 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 Some of the framing wood looks very "fresh" so I'm curious how old the home is. A little more history of the house (age, mods, etc), and the OP's occupancy, might be helpful in guessing if this is could be a chronic problem or one that recent events have caused. A wide angle shot or two of the exterior would also be nice. Just sayin'. That new wood is from a contractor who finished one half of our basement about 10 years ago. The house itself is circa mid 70's, and had a major renovation early 90's, long before we got it (we are discovering though the guys who renovated this place took a million shortcuts that we are paying the price for now though). @ Jim, we just had our roof redone and we are going to tackle the gutters next, so I will certainly keep your advice in mind while doing so, thanks a lot for the information!! And your explanation of efflorescence makes a lot of sense, thank you for clarifying that for me (I was thinking a lot of water causing this). And as far as damp hole in the ground basement, that's actually the perfect explanation for the unfinished portion (there are actually sections where dirt is exposed behind a block wall that only goes half way up). It's always damp in that section but is usually fairly dry in the finished portion (we run a dehumidifier fairly often). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erby Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Perhaps, at a minimum, you should consider covering the exposed dirt with a vapor barrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpdewitt Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 If you want to know if you have dampness moving through masonry, try this: Tape a piece of clear plastic, large plastic bag, etc. to the wall/floor in such a way as to seal the edges fairly well. Come back and look at it in a day or so. If there are water droplets on the inside of the plastic, you have moisture. By the way, wood in direct contact with masonry is a bad idea, the wood will potentially rot from moisture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crawlspacemoisture Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 If you want to know if you have dampness moving through masonry, try this: Tape a piece of clear plastic, large plastic bag, etc. to the wall/floor in such a way as to seal the edges fairly well. Come back and look at it in a day or so. If there are water droplets on the inside of the plastic, you have moisture. By the way, wood in direct contact with masonry is a bad idea, the wood will potentially rot from moisture. And probably mold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now