DRY ROT TREATMENT IN ILKLEY

Dry rot is caused by a fungi called ‘Serpula lacrymans’ and is the most serious form of fungal decay in a building. These wood destroying fungi are attracted to damp or moist wood.

Dry rot occurs at low moisture content of around 20% to 30% which provide the perfect habitat for these microscopic fungal spores to thrive in roofs, underfloor areas or behind wall fabrics that have poor ventilation.

The dry rot fungi will then multiply and spread quickly throughout the moisture-affected parts of the wood and damp enclosed spaces.

This type of wood rot in homes can be caused by poor ventilation, defective gutters, spillages from appliances, plumbing and masonry leaks inside your building property.

Wood rot treatment is important because if dry rot is left untreated the structure of your house can become compromised.

Dry rot is caused by a wood fungus, and these fungal spores need damp and moist conditions in order to survive. They eat through damp wood and spread quickly to unaffected areas.

Any rotten wood treatment needs to remove the damp. If you take away the moist conditions, then the wood fungus struggles to survive and is unable to spread. This means isolating the cause of the damp and making sure it can’t return.

Any wood that has already been affected by dry rot and where fungal growths are evident needs to be completely removed and replaced. This is important for safety, as dry rot causes instability as the wood is eaten away.

If dry rot has been identified but has not spread, then other wooden supports in the building will still need to be treated with an anti-fungicide, a precaution that will help to stop any further dry rot returning.

As dry rot can spread into brickwork too, masonry dry rot treatment also needs to be applied. This usually involves applying chemicals and treating the brickwork with anti-fungicides, although this depends on the severity of the spread.

Dry rot can look different depending on the extent of the growth of the fungus and how much damage it has caused. While dry rot spores are themselves invisible, you can see the dry rot as it grows into a more fungus-like substance on the timber. When exposed to light, the dry rot fungus appears to have a lemony or yellowish tinge look to it.

Dry rot will resemble something like white or grey cotton wool across the surface of the wood but will look mushroom-like fruiting body which reddish brown colour.

The dry rot tends to turn a brown colour and is dark in appearance. The wood fungus then causes the wood to crumble or leave deep cracks. The affected wood may break and become brittle, as the fungus spreads and eats through the timber.

It’s important to know how to stop dry rot, in order to prevent it from spreading through your house. Leaving your timbers for too long before applying a wood rot treatment can lead to the wood fungus that causes dry rot eating through important structural supports. In a worst-case scenario, dry rot can even cause a building to collapse.

The best way to stop the spread of dry rot is to remove the damp and wet environment that the wood fungus spores need to survive. Get rid of the moisture and the fungus can’t live.

This means identifying what the reason for the damp is, and fixing it.
Visible dry rot needs to be removed entirely. Rotten wood treatment involves cutting out affected areas and then treating non-affected areas with anti-fungicide to stop any spread of the spores further into a building.

A masonry dry rot treatment is also important because spores can travel through and live in the brickwork before latching onto the wood.