Article - Dry Rot, Dry Rot Pictures

	What is Dry Rot Dry Rot Pictures Property Repair Systems - 01626 331351 - where you can speak to real people

DRY ROT - WHAT IS DRY ROT?

DRY ROT PHOTOS

Copyright - D.C.Moore.

First signs are often seen in skirting boards - outward curvature (convex), deep cracks along the grain, strands

Dry rot in a skirting board Cues of wood - typical Dry rot pattern of decay Curving skirting board - typical dry rot

The skin of Dry Rot - Mycellium - with or without Strands of Dry Rot - on walls or below a timber floor

Dry rot in masonry Sry rot skin on joists Dry rot in a sub floor void

Fluffy Mycellium, like clouds of cotton wool, are a rarer form. Spore dust, rust red in colour. Normal Mycelium skin of Dry Rot.

Sry rot in a wine cellar rack Brown/Red Dry rot spores Mycelium on the back of a skirting board

A fresh Sporophore looks flat with a rust red centre, but as they dry out they can go dark brown to black in the middle.

Severe Dry rot fruiting body Flat fruiting body of Dry rot Dried up fruiting body - colours have faded

ONLY ONE TRUE DRY ROT - SERPULA LACRYMANS

The dry rot fungus, Serpula lacrymans, is often regarded as the 'cancer' of a building. Many myths have built up concerning what this fungal decay is capable of doing, occasionally leading to the belief that the fungus is indestructible and that the whole of the building will have to be pulled down.
However, dry rot is vulnerable to certain environmental effects, and like all wood destroying fungi it has essential needs, and it is those needs that limit the extent of spread and damage that this organism can inflict. Unfortunately dry rot is a very secretive organism, favouring dark, damp stagnant conditions to develop. This is frequently why it is able to spread extensively before the damage is first noticed.
'Dry Rot and its Control' sets out to describe the fungus its biology, what it can and can't do, the conditions it must have, and most importantly how it can be readily controlled with the proper combination of environmental and building considerations coupled with the proper use of timber and masonry preservatives. Many people expect large volumes of chemicals to be used and that they will have to put up with the risk of any toxic effects and unpleasant odours and fumes which may be a part of the treatment.

DRY ROT AND ITS CONTROL

The wood destroying fungus, Serpula lacrymans, is commonly known as dry rot. However, the name 'dry rot' might be considered rather inappropriate since like all wood destroying fungi it requires water for germination, growth and survival. Indeed, water/dampness is the fundamental need of all wood destroying fungi plus, of course, a food source (wood); without either the fungus ceases to grow and dies.

WOOD AS A FOOD SOURCE: FORMATION OF WOOD:

Wood is a natural material being the end product of a complex chemical process, photosynthesis, which occurs in green plants. Wood basically consists of boxes and tubes made of sugars which are linked together to form cellulose, the basic building material of plants. Chains of cellulose are laid down in different orientations and bonded by another material, hemicellulose. A further material, lignin, adds rigidity and strength. It is the arrangement of cellulose with the two other materials which give wood its characteristic properties and its 'cellular' structure. The wood forming the outer part of the tree is known as the sapwood and transports sap and stores food. This is the most vulnerable part of wood to fungal decay and attack by wood-boring insects. The inner wood is the heartwood and forms the older wood in the centre of the tree; it does not conduct sap or store food but it does contain some excretory products and is more resistant to decay than the sapwood. It is also more resistant to the movement of water and preservatives in general. The heartwood of different timbers varies in its resistance to fungal decay and it is this heartwood resistance to decay by which timbers can be classified, i.e., non-durable, durable, etc.

WOOD DECAY

Wood decay is basically the reverse of wood formation. Dry rot attacks the cellulose and hemicellulose of the wood to break it back down into its basic sugar components . The sugars are respired with air by the fungus to produce carbon dioxide, water and the energy for growth. However, the lignin is not metabolised and this gives rise to the darkening in colour of the wood. A number of wood destroying fungi other than dry rot also decay the wood in the same manner, leaving the lignin untouched. The characteristic darkening of the wood by these fungi together with the typical cuboidal cracking give them the title of 'brown rots'; dry rot is one of the brown rots. When the wood is broken down and utilised for food, shrinkage, loss of weight, loss of strength and cracking occur. It is the shrinkage which causes the typical 'cuboidal' cracking (cracks to form small cubes) of dry rot and the other 'brown rots'. Indeed, it is this shrinkage and cracking which is often the first signs of a problem.

DETECTING DRY ROT

Fugenex Dry Rot Sensor

What is it?
* a simple to install treated wooden dowel that changes colour, from blue to yellow, in the presence of early Dry Rot
What does it do for me?
* it allows you to tell if Dry Rot is present at its earliest stages, in timber or masonry, giving you an early warning that action is required before your building is damaged
How is it installed?
* by drilling an 8mm diameter hole to a depth of 110mm in the 'at risk' timber or masonry
How does it work?
* the blue detector dye, that is vacuum impregnated into the wooden dowel, reacts to the chemical that Dry Rot produces - oxalic acid - at very low levels, turning the dye to yellow.
How much do they cost?
* a few pounds each - go to our Dry Rot Shop to see the details

Books - guides to Dry Rot, Wet Rot, Wood Boring Insects, Moulds and Damp

Buy Books

Buy Identifying Wood Boring Insects, Rots and Moulds: full colour: BRE.

£55.00 -

Identifying Dampness in Buildings: Coleman - buy the Reprinted Book

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Identifying Dampness in Buildings: Coleman - buy a direct Download

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Other Property Repair Systems Sites:

www.boron.org.uk - how to use Boron based insecticides/fungicides to treat timber rots and insect attack
www.dampness-info.co.uk - how to treat penetrating dampness in walls and plaster
www.deck-treatment.co.uk - how to treat patio decks and yacht decks
www.epoxy-info.co.uk - epoxies, polyesters and polyurethanes for all applications
www.furniture-outdoors.com - all weather cane garden furniture, luxury Danish designs
www.joist-repair.co.uk - how to quickly repair joists and beams of any size
www.propertyrepairsystems.co.uk - fire retardant paints, hygiene products, metal bracket manufacture, crack injection
www.timber.org.uk - systems of repair, with step by step methods
www.timber-repair.co.uk - how to repair timbers in buildings without wrecking the place
www.woodworm-info.co.uk - how to kill and prevent woodworm and death watch beetle