Finding A Secret Room Under My House and What Was In It

I couldn't believe there was more to discover to our house! Checkout what I found when I was troubleshooting a repair project.

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[barryirby]

I was a Home Inspector for over thirty years. The white powder on the block is Efflorescence. metallic salts left behind by water migrating through the block. Reconnect the downspout and get that water away. The pattern on the fireplace foundation may indicate the top of the flue/chimney is leaking. Should have a topping made of mortar or cement called the coping or flaunching and they fail over time. If it's cracked, replace it. The only ducts I ever saw with that much water in them were flooded by some accident in the house. A tub overflowed or even a toilet and ran into a floor register. It will persist for months once in there. Good luck.

[MononokeLynn]

The kids’ reactions to finding a basement is absolutely hilarious! 😂 I am from the midwest, where basements are necessary and most people make it livable space. When my husband and I bought our first house five years ago or so, my biggest request was a livable basement with good lighting. I know this video is two years old by this point, but I hope you put a better access in at this point.

[annierae]

Growing up in the midwest my first thought (after fixing the odor problem) is to get that dried out and install a trap door for a root cellar/tornado

[StansAuto]

You probably figured out by now but the drain on your HVAC unit is probably not draining correctly so it’s backing up into the air unit and since you’re vents are on the floor per se blowing up instead of in the attic blowing down or going from the floor to the ceiling It’s all collecting and that’s how you end up with the problem

[davej]

Before you enter a confined space ventilate it throughly. It may save your life or the lives of people important to you who are going to try to rescue you. Blow air all the way to the the bottom of the space to exchange good air for possibly dangerous air. At least three and a half air exchanges before you enter with continuous ventilation when you are in the space.

[christelting]

I'd dig out the side of the foundation and install a door. Pour a floor with drain. Nice storage room/root cellar. I'm wondering about the rest of the foundation. You might have other potential rooms in which case make more doors throughout obviously consulting an engineer and voila basement.

[ablelock]

My father does heating and air-conditioning and has most of all my life. Just a suggestion but I think maybe what you might be having a problem with is you’re a coil in your furnace. Has a drain pan to catch the condensation that comes from your air conditioning when it’s running. If the pan is rusted and has a hole in it it will let the moisture into your ductwork into the return air side of your duck work this is a possibility. We need to take your air-conditioning systems apart and check them thoroughly with lights and see if the pans under the Ecole system is leaking and if the water is draining outside yes it is possible to get that amount of water or more from a air-conditioning system that is not draining properly to the outside this is a good thing to check hopefully I can help you out and it will be resolved.

[valeriewilliams]

That was fun, going on adventure with you. You're a great dad, patient, and a hard worker.

[steveruggles]

There's some good advice below here. However, 40+ yrs. of construction says you need "foundation vents" to get the moist air out . Use the type that can be closed in the winter. Good luck.!

[angelsinger]

There was a guy in Italy not too long ago. Wanted to open a gelato shop, but the toilet wasn’t working. Went to trace the pipes…and found an entire medieval church.

You never know what you’ll find right below your feet…

[reillygrimley]

That space could make for a really good root cellar/pantry space.

[helenmorehouse]

My husband, who is a 3rd generation construction worker says that you should try going through the cinder block wall that has the vent coming out of it. Drill a few holes that can be knocked into a view point. The trouble is behind it. You'll be able to look at the area before you or anyone else, goes in.

[casid]

1. Fix down spout to keep water away from foundation.
2. Run snake camera into ductwork.
3. Add hinged door to access that swings in. Add hinges to stair so it opens up so you can access hidden room.
4. Remove and replace all insulation. Remove debris.

[joeholland]

If the smell started recently, my guess is you had water accident above, like a toilet overflow and it leaked into a floor vent. The way vents connect to an air conditioning "A" frame, it would be a stretch for condensate to be inside the vent. Typically, blocked condensate drains show up as water damage in a ceiling or floor.

Plug the holes you drilled, wait a week an see if there is any more water. You can look next to the A frame and see if there is a drain tube. You can sometimes use compressed air to blow it out.

[baileysconstruction]

Definitely looks like a plugged up condensation drain backing up into the duct work.

[annroberts]

Absolutely LOVE your Daughter and her comments!!!😉💕

[grdelawter]

I agree with Kevin and Able. I have one other comment, removing the steel galvanized duct work and replacing it with a fresh new flexible duct is a huge mistake. Flexible ducts need continuous support such a laying across your attic. The galvanized steel ducting is the best available. Changing that would be like putting house slippers on a race horse! Put the old one back in and after solving the water problem have your ducts cleaned and patch the drilled holes!

[MBaldelli]

Holy moly! The fiberglass insulation I saw in that hidden room also has lettering on it's labels that hasn't been used since the 70s.

[JustMeAllDayEveryday]

Living in Arkansas; - in a frequent tornado area, ALL I can see is a place to make an easy access- for everyone to safely traverse quickly- for tornado shelter & a cellar to store food!
Once it is clean and dry- I'd concrete the floor and you could actually make a floor / door with stairs from inside the house- to get in and out easily - and then it is a useful part of the house- SO LUCKY to have such a high ceiling down there -
I have never seen a crawl space that u didn't have to Crawl through!

[rossmacintosh]

Having standing water like that in those ducts had to have been an incredibly unhealthy situation!!! If your family has suffered with allergies, respiratory problems, or immune system challenges - perhaps you now have a possible explanation. At the very least you should have a local heating contractor review your entire system, do a duct cleaning, any repairs needed, and new installation. It might also be prudent to have the house checked for mould and remediate it if needed.
I'm assuming you did not have a proper home inspection when you purchased it.