Pellet stove for wet cellar?

[Rochev]

I have a VERY old house that has a walk out basement and dirt floor, stone walls.
It floods every spring and when there's a storm. It's extremely damp and around 40 degrees about 300 days of the year. It's about 450sq ft.

I'm getting another King stove and venting through an old window that I'll have to seal. Does anyone have experience with using a pellet stove to not only keep a damp, earthy basement mild, but to also dry it? I have a dehumidifier running 24/7 and two heaters but they don't make a noticeable difference.
I've got two "flood holes" still full of water from the hurricane a few weeks back.

 

[shtrdave]

Are you planning on running it year round? It may help. I think I would also do some other work.
try to remedy the flooding aspect, and also a good layer or two of some sort of ground barrier and then top with some shale or something.

 

[Rochev]

Just in the winter. It's not as much of an issue in the summer with a dehumidifier but in the spring and winter, a lot of water comes in. I'm actually going to dig a "moat" around the barn doors to direct a lot of water inside before it gets a chance to come in.

All previous families of this house have just dealt with it, especially since I'm next to a brook. But I find it pretty gross!

 

[doneill127]

Live in an 1800 house with dry stacked stone foundation. Previous owner poured a concrete slab leaving about a 2ft space between the foundation and slab. Put perforated pipe in the perimeter gap to a sump pit and covered the pipe with stone. Works great seen water running down the stone foundation, but slab is high and dry. I do run a dehumidifier in the summer.

 

[Rochev]

Wish I had something like that! I just have a couple of 3x2 pits that are a couple feet deep. Helps some, but not during rapid snow melt or flooding from rain. I got the stove in there now and will be getting a vent kit to install it soon

 

[mtnbiker727]

Take the money you would spend on a pellet stove and install drainage outside the house, then pour concrete walls and a floor inside to keep out all the water. Then run the dehumidifier to keep the normal basement moisture down.

If you put that blue foam board insulation up before pouring the walls, that would help keep moisture out and maintain temperature better. I'm not sure what you would need to do to waterproof the walkout door, but insulating that shouldn't be too difficult. All of these things will also improve the warmth and reduce the moisture inside the living area of the house as well.

While you're at it, if you're in a radon area (Pennsylvania is), install a radon system, which will also help reduce moisture in the basement.

 

[Rochev]

Unfortunately I was quoted $50k minimum to do it right. I only spent $100 on the stove. The house was designed this way hundreds of years ago, it just bothers me.

I'm installing it today but I'd like to put it through the chimney vent that my old furnace was using. It is lined. I also have an unused fireplace upstairs. It would make sense that I can just vent it through the existing flue, no?