Wanna Start a Home Game, but there's a Problem (2 Viewers)

aochs2765

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This post is more of a rant, running out of ideas on what to put on here so that I can start using the classifieds lol

So my wife and I bought our first house last year. I’ve always been really into poker and the social aspect, just never had a good place to host. So I made sure when we were picking out houses that I’d have a space that could eventually be used for this. Lo and behold we find a place we both love that has a nice big finished basement. Literally perfect. A few days after we closed I had found a poker table on fb marketplace and moved it in while the sellers still had occupancy. I was jacked.

Here’s where the problem comes in, we get moved in and have a few people over to celebrate. Naturally we spend some time downstairs and later that night my freaking asthma flares up. I don’t think too much about it as it can randomly get triggered. But then I hang out down there a few days later, and the asthma gets triggered again…

Since then I have spent like $500 on air filters and dehumidifiers, I’ve cleaned the shit out of the carpet, bleached the walls, tried everything. If I’m down there for more than 10 min I just die later that night and get a cough that lasts for a week. It sucks that I can’t use this space and now it’s looks like my home poker game has to be put on hold once again.

Thanks for listening to me whine lol
 
Its a bit of a drive but if you ever travel down to Fort Wayne you are welcome to play with us in our basements when we have a game going. Hopefully you are not allergic to all basements. ; )
 
Naturally we spend some time downstairs and later that night my freaking asthma flares up. I don’t think too much about it as it can randomly get triggered. But then I hang out down there a few days later, and the asthma gets triggered again…
It could be as simple as allergy or bad reaction to the new coat of paint used that trigger it.

Might want to check with your doctor and seek advice, I used to have childhood asthma and allergy often trigger a bad reaction on my asthma
 
Honestly, I'd get a specialist to take samples. If it's something oddball, it could be something you could go to home owners insurance or corrected reasonably. Heck, if it's something major it could have been a known issue and something to go back to the previous owner with.

But I've had a few friends have toxic gas leaks or Carbon Monoxide leaks that really screwed with there systems.

God that would be horrible not to have my poker basement. It's my lil home.
 
Sounds like something a pampered superstar like Tugg Speedman would complain about! (Nice avatar)
 
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I would say whether you want to host poker or not you should figure out what in that environment is triggering your asthma. I'm sure your going to need the space the other 95% of the time poker is not in session.
 
Any way to know the history of things? Maybe some mold hiding behind the walls?
 
This exact thing happened to me in my current home. I was on an asthma inhaler for the better part of a year (I don't have asthma). The culprit was their cat, which I am allergic to. Eventually, it went away after cleaning and vacuuming.

I am guessing yours is similar, but probably some spores or mold that is blooming in your basement. As others said, get it checked out.
 
It is probably MOLD! Even the tiniest amounts of mold make me start to wheeze, my eyes to turn blood shot red and start sneezing within 30 minutes. I am extremely allergic to mold, it can be the largest nicest basement ever and the owner have no idea it is in there (often from previous water damage and the mold is under the partition wall 2x4s).

Is the basement carpeted? 100% that will have to be replaced and while it is up run a bead of caulk around the base of the walls, replace any base trim and a new coat of paint on the walls. Also could have been a water leak above. Does the basement have a drop ceiling (2ft x 2ft tiles sitting in a metal grid, if so pop them out and look for any water damage, its not a fortune to replace ceiling tiles either) drywall ceiling (harder to investigate, look at drywall seems and see if there is any evidence of light brown staining at these joints. If it is flaring up asthma that bad, bump around with a 2x4 or something similar and see if you can find soft spots... the 2 x 4 will go right through if you find where the water damage was and unfortunately you are going to get hit in the face with stuff that could send you into a full out asthma attack! Be ready) or open to the floor joists of the first floor? (Investigate under the kitchen and any potential water locations like bathrooms... water made this issue at some point, people may have spent a fortune to cover it up, but if it is hitting you that bad you should be able to find it.

I'm 98% sure this is a mold issue as I have dealt with it my whole life. Get tested by your doctor. Mold is not good for anyone but can be an extreme allergic issue for some.

The Home Depot, Lowes and many other retailers sell home mold detection kits... I highly recommend you grab one, unfortunately the results will likely be positive but atleast then you will know what the issue is.

This IS fixable and not the end of your Poker Oasis!

Fellow Chipper Ben
 
Maybe it’s the table. Who knows what it was exposed to.
I don’t think it is, actually I know it’s not. I have a history with basements. I used to live with my dad and his basement would absolutely destroy me. Like that place was a hell hole. It got worse and worse over about 7 years but at the end if I even ran down there for like 30s to grab a tool or something I had to hold my breath or I’d get it bad later that night.

Kind of disgusting, but that place was nasty. It got wet, the dogs would shit down there occasionally and it would take awhile to clean up, and I think mice had gotten in because I would find small poop pellets around. This would get cleaned less and less frequently as I would go down there less as my reactions got worse. My pops isn’t one to clean. I moved out awhile ago and I shudder to think what it’s like down there now

Anyway, the poop pellets from what I’m assuming are mice seem to be maybe the biggest red flag. My current basement has a finished ceiling (not drop). One time I was tinkering around with an access port that they installed in the ceiling and when I opened it a bunch of similar looking pellets fell from the ceiling. I’m thinking there is a chance that the previous owners had a mouse problem at one point and the space above the ceiling is covered in them. That rotting shit is my best bet currently as to what is giving me issues. And the basement is pretty big so idk how I could even get up there to clean it.
 
It is probably MOLD! Even the tiniest amounts of mold make me start to wheeze, my eyes to turn blood shot red and start sneezing within 30 minutes. I am extremely allergic to mold, it can be the largest nicest basement ever and the owner have no idea it is in there (often from previous water damage and the mold is under the partition wall 2x4s).

Is the basement carpeted? 100% that will have to be replaced and while it is up run a bead of caulk around the base of the walls, replace any base trim and a new coat of paint on the walls. Also could have been a water leak above. Does the basement have a drop ceiling (2ft x 2ft tiles sitting in a metal grid, if so pop them out and look for any water damage, its not a fortune to replace ceiling tiles either) drywall ceiling (harder to investigate, look at drywall seems and see if there is any evidence of light brown staining at these joints. If it is flaring up asthma that bad, bump around with a 2x4 or something similar and see if you can find soft spots... the 2 x 4 will go right through if you find where the water damage was and unfortunately you are going to get hit in the face with stuff that could send you into a full out asthma attack! Be ready) or open to the floor joists of the first floor? (Investigate under the kitchen and any potential water locations like bathrooms... water made this issue at some point, people may have spent a fortune to cover it up, but if it is hitting you that bad you should be able to find it.

I'm 98% sure this is a mold issue as I have dealt with it my whole life. Get tested by your doctor. Mold is not good for anyone but can be an extreme allergic issue for some.

The Home Depot, Lowes and many other retailers sell home mold detection kits... I highly recommend you grab one, unfortunately the results will likely be positive but atleast then you will know what the issue is.

This IS fixable and not the end of your Poker Oasis!

Fellow Chipper Ben
Wow thanks for your response! I replied to another post below yours that has some added context. The basement is carpeted though so I will need to look into that.
 

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