<p>So psyched-- got the condo (see other threads) at an unbelievably low price and the pre-purchase inspection is this week.</p>
<p>Any red herrings to watch for outside of the obvious? The inspection guy is tops in this community so I expect a very thorough and detailed report.</p>
<p>One of my concerns- my current home has base board heat and this one has gas-furnace with forced hot air through ducts. I noticed a musty smell in the finished basement and the dehumidifier was turned off (by current renters of the property). There’s no window there. I am wondering whether this is indicative of a potential mold problem and if mold will spew through the furnace intake throughout the house?
Some potential solutions are to clean / sanitize all the ducts and/or install special filters onto the furnace and A/C intakes to remove pollen, dust, mold, etc.</p>
<p>Anyone have any experience with these products and/or thoughts on what might be causing a musty smell in a very dry basement?</p>
<p>We’ve had two walk out basements that were partially underground and still had that musty smell at times. One was completed finished and one was not. There was never a water problem at all. I think it’s just inherent with a below grade basement. Running a dehumidifier helped a lot.</p>
<p>ETA: There was never a mold problem in either house.</p>
<p>Thanks MomLive – I hope that is the case. This is my first basement with no windows. Fifth home I’ve owned -some partially finished, some unfinished-- this one has a noticeable smell-- I wouldn’t want to exercise on my treadmill in this basement.</p>
<p>Anyone else have any experience with these issues?</p>
<p>DH is in a business related to HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning). You should have the filters installed and make sure to pay attention to changing them periodically. It will make a huge difference in your air quality. You can have the ducts cleaned if you are concerned but I wouldn’t deem it totally necessary.</p>
<p>Any recommendations on dehumidifiers to use in a basement? We just finished part of one for storage and it is not musty, but still damp.</p>
<p>Ha. CA girl here so no clue 
After I posted this morning I did ask DH and the first thing he said was “get a dehumidifier”. Next thing was that he agreed with me. Ge t good filters and change them about every six months. It will make a difference.<br>
On a slight side note, I once went with DS to discuss the possibility of elective surgery. I started questioning the doc about the air quality of the “surgery area” in his outpatient surgical center. I didn’t like the answers and nixed the whole thing. DS was mortified but I was adamant. I would not have elective surgery without knowing that the air quality was good. You would be surprised at some of the things I’ve seen. And people wonder why they get staph and other infections…</p>
<p>Ive always run dehumidifiers in the basement. I just replaced an old one with a Frigidaire from Lowes. Quietest one Ive ever owned.</p>
<p>For odors, I use the Gonzo Odor Eliminator for Homes (Home Depot). It really works. Just make sure you get the right number of bags for your square footage.</p>
<p>Dehumidifiers make a <em>huge</em> difference in how the basement air smells and feels. Hopefully you have a sump pit where you can run the drainage too. Then you won’t have to do anything other than rinse out the filter every so often. It won’t take long at all (~a day?) for you to be able to tell the difference.</p>
<p>Big box stores used to carry more expensive/higher quality dehumidifiers, but it doesn’t appear so much so now. I’d recommend buying the one that draws out the most moisture (they will be rated by this). Also, if you are were it freezes during the winter, make sure you buy one that will keep running below 65 degrees. The cheaper ones will ice over and not be able to be used during winter months.</p>
<p>They turned on the dehumifier on Thursday and my pre-purchase home inspection is Wednesday this week- so I am hoping to smell the difference! </p>
<p>Is Gonzo the odor eliminator related to Dolby the House Elf ? (Sorry I couldn’t resist as it’s HP week)</p>
<p>Thanks! This actually sounds perfect for me! </p>
<p>[Gonzo</a> Odor Eliminator for Basements and Garages - Odor Removal - AchooAllergy.com](<a href=“http://www.achooallergy.com/basement-odor-eliminator.asp]Gonzo”>http://www.achooallergy.com/basement-odor-eliminator.asp)</p>