Lifecote Dry Rot and Wet Rot Treatments

Despite its name, dry rot actually requires moisture to take hold. Dry rot is a fungus, called Serpula lacrymans that infects the timbers of a building when they are damp enough for its spores to germinate. The fungus then grows, using and breaking down the timber it sits on as a source of food. Most alarmingly, and where the name ‘dry’ rot comes from, once it reaches a certain size, this fungus can send out strands that can cross dry, inert materials such as concrete to infect further timbers on the other side of it.

The characteristics of dry rot depend on its stage of development. The fungus flourishes in damp, unventilated conditions, so it will most often be found in areas that are rarely seen, on structural timbers such as joists and roof trusses, behind skirting boards and door frames and on the underside of wooden floors. Because it’s hard to keep an eye on these areas, dry rot is often quite advanced before it is detected.

Initially the fungus appears as white cushion of what looks like cotton wool, which may produce water droplets on the surface. Where the fungus is growing in less humid conditions or is exposed to light, it appears as a thin silky, grey skin that has yellow patches tinged with lilac on it.

These sheets produce strands that carry nutrients and water with them so they are capable of crossing adjacent inert, non-nourishing materials such as brick and concrete to reach new areas of damp timber, thereby allowing the fungus to spread over large and distinct areas, potentially causing extensive damage to the structural integrity of the property.

When the fungus is advanced and preparing to reproduce, it develops a fleshy but tough pancake-like fruiting body, often through plaster. This body holds spores on its surface which are ochre to red-brown in colour, giving it the alternative name of ’brown rot’.

Rotted timber becomes dark and dry as the fungus draws all the water from it, shrinking and splitting to form ‘cuboidal’ cracks that run with the grain and deep across the grain. This timber has almost no strength to it so it will crumble between the fingers, and can create highly hazardous living accommodation.

How Lifecote Ltd Treats Dry Rot

Having discovered dry rot in your property, before beginning any repair or treatment it is imperative that we conduct an extensive and thorough survey to identify the full extent of the rot spread.

Lifecote will investigate all woodwork including skirting boards, joists, floorboards and doorframes and examine masonry too. 

Every single incidence of the rot must be isolated and eliminated to prevent future breakouts.

 

Lifecote  Dry Rot Elimination Stage 1

 

Because dry rot can only infect wood that is damp (with a moisture content of at least 20%), the primary course of action is to remove the source of water causing the damp, be it condensation, rainwater or plumbing, and dry the timber out.

There are several routes for water ingress in a property. Lifecote will check the integrity of each of the following areas, and fix the problem as soon as possible:

• Guttering and down pipes
• Roof defects
• Cracks in brickwork or walls
• Damaged, bridged or missing damp proof course
• Leaking pipes
• Overflowing water tanks 

Lifecote Dry Rot Elimination Step 2

Drying timbers out can take a long time, during which period the fungus will continue to spread. Dry rot spores can also sit dormant but viable for many years in dry conditions, so it is vital to remove any material that harbours the fungus and protect new or existing sound timbers from infection.

Lifecote will remove all infected timber, with at least an additional 1.0 metre on either side of the last evidence of rot to ensure that all sources of fungus are eliminated.

Lifecote will replace structural defective plates and joists. Lifecote will ensure that all treatments far exceed BS 5268 this will include soil treatment and removal where the dry rot have infested such area.

For a survey please call the office on:

Free Phone 0800 043 2096  7 Days A Week   9.00am Till 9.00 pm