DELTA flooring on old basement floor

[imported_pabs]

I have an old house with an old basement

the concrete slab in the basement is not very thick and was not poured properly so a lot of humidity goes right across it.
during the rainy seasobn there are some wet spots on the floor. it's not running water but I get a lot spot of extreme humidity.

I can get a sweet deal on some DELTA subfloor boards. They are 2x2 squares of OSB with the DELTA membrane glued to it. I am gonna put this down over my basement floor to have a clean dry surface to walk on without loosing too much height (3/4 inch)

couple of questions:

1) I also thought of putting a Poly membrane before laying the subflloor to reduce the amount of humidity in the basement. is this a good idea?

What happens to the concrete below if I lay a poly membrane over it, thus trapping the moisture directly on the slab? will this cause the concrete to deteriorate faster?

2) the floor is not perfectly level... I would only lay the subfloor (I will NOT be putting any other flooring on top). is the instalation difficult is the floor is not perfect,? I know the recommend a level floor but I figure that's because people typically will put down laminate flooring or something like it over top so they need to be level.

if anyone has experience with this product, I would appreciate any advice


thanks

Pabs

[Wgoodrich]

Constant moisture in a living area such as a dwelling especially if covered or trapped is an open invitation for mold and mildew that often turns into a health risk.

If it were me I would spend my money using a back hoe digging a trench a comfortable distance from the house to use the back hoe while digging that trench to a depth equal to the bottom of your nearby footer. Then install 2" of # 3 crushed stone or washed rock. Then install a 4" plastic slotted drain hose all the way around your basement perimeter. Then install 6" more of #3 crushed stone or wahsed rock over that perforated drain tile. Then install a filtering cheese cloth over that rock or stone. Make sure to keep that rock or stone clean under that filtering cheese cloth. Then back fill that trench.

Dig a trench from the end or middle of that level installed perimeter drain hose to a low spot on the land that has an elevation below the bottom of your drain hose located at the bottom of that basement footer. Install an animal guard on the end of that daylight outlet.

If you have flat land then somewhere convenient install a 24" plastic driveway pipe verticle in line with that perimeter drain hose running the drain hose into that veritically installed plastic cystern pipe so that this veritcle pipe is about a foot below the perimeter drain and the perimeter drain enters in about a foot above the bottom of that verticle systern pipe. Then install about 6" of 3# crushed stone or washed rock in the bottom of that veritically installed 24" diameter plastic pipe. Then run a 15 or 20 amp branch ciruict GFI protected from your house panel into the top of that verically installed pipe and install a weatherproof receptacle inside that pipe. Then install a sump pump down to the bottom where the rock floor is inside the pipe. Then run the outlet hose of that sump pump to daylight away from the house.

Be sure that you have at least 6" of fall in 10' out away from the house for you finished grade. This will direct the surface water flow away from the house as well as either drain the subsurface water below the bottom of your basement footer.

This will dry out your basement and stop the influx of water into your home risking a health hazard.

You can rent a back hoe to do the job or hire it done, your choice.

Best advice I have

Wg

[imported_pabs]

well..
I know that the ULTIMATE solution would be to dig the stop the water before it even comes in but that's a huge cost right now that I can't afford.

keep in mind that this is NOT a finished basement. It's a place for the washer/dryer, my bikes and a small area where I keep my tools.

the main reason I want to put a subfloor is so that I don't have to walk around on a damp concrete floor.
..
by putting the subfloor (with the DELTA membrane) down am I making things worst than they are right now (in term of the humidity) or would it remain the same but at least provide me with a dry floor?

thanks

Pabs

[Wgoodrich]

In my mind it would complicate matters by trapping the moisture where it could not breath and dry out as well. That amount of moisture in the basement is an open invitation for black mold and other health concerns.

I suspect that if you checked and compared prices of the material to raise your floor thus making a lower ceiling hight you would be able to rent an excavator and dig the trench around the house yourself and lower your water table. Same cost correct method versus an unsafe fix. Do some research. You should be able to dig the trench around your house and install the drain pipe and back fill in about two days of digging. Call and check the cost of renting an excavator for a couple of days and add about $100 dollars in for the drain hose. If you need a pump to rid the subsurface water then add about $150 more for the pump and hose.

Taking the easy route is not always the easy route. Taking the cheapest route is not always the best or cheapest route. May be chasing good money after a bad idea and still have the moisture and health risk in your home.

Do some comparison in cost. If you do it yourself it may surprise you which would be easiest and less expensive.

Good Luck

Wg