What Are The Symptoms of Dry Rot?

What is Dry Rot?

Dry rot is a type of wood degradation produced by a fungus that destroys the wood’s strength and stiffness-giving components. It was initially used to describe any fungus-caused rot of cured wood in ships and buildings, leaving the wood darkly coloured, deteriorated, and cracked.

Dry Rot VS Wet Rot

Dry rot and wet rot have different spores; hence they have other appearances. The most significant difference is that wet rot requires a lot more moisture to propagate. This is because it can spread via capillaries. Wet rot can also spread more easily across more significant areas.

What Causes Dry Rot?

Dry rot can be caused by a variety of fungi. Serpula lacrymans is the most common in the United Kingdom. If not dealt with quickly enough, it will spread throughout your home, encompassing brick and stone, as well as plaster. This will have an effect on your house’s structural integrity as well as the integrity of your timbers.

When there is an excessive quantity of moisture in your wood, it causes dry rot. If various environmental conditions exist, such as more than 20% moisture level in your wood, dry rot spores can form fast. This will attract the fungus, which will use the wetness to absorb nutrients.

You will need a specialist survey to distinguish whether your decaying timber is caused by dry rot or a different fungus. Likewise, the treatments for similar damage will vary based on the specific cause.

Identifying Dry Rot: What are The Signs Of Dry Rot In Your Property?

You’ll need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of dry rot to spot it as soon as possible. The sooner dry rot is discovered, the less time and money you’ll have to spend addressing it. A comprehensive assessment is required if you notice any of the signs and symptoms described below.

Your Timber Smells

The Dry rot smell is particularly musty. Your timbers will have a damp, fungal, murky odour if it has been impacted by dry rot. Even if you can’t see the dry rot outbreak, this can happen. However, the presence of an odour does not necessarily imply the existence of dry rot. The scent will indicate that your timber is damp. However, humidity can lead to dry rot later on.

Your Timber Has Fruiting Bodies On It

This is the most visible and ultimate stage of dry rot. Fruiting bodies that look like mushrooms may begin to attach themselves to your wood. They occur when dry rot can no longer feed on the wood, forcing the fungus to pump spores out instead.

Your Timber Has Spore Dust

Dry rot spores are not only found in wood that has been afflicted by the infection. Yet, if dry rot spores are accompanied by splotches of rusty coloured dust, it can indicate dry rot. In the final stage of the dry rot cycle, fruiting bodies emit spore dust.

The Importance Of Spotting The Signs Of Dry Rot On Time

Wood rot and dampness are two of the most devastating problems that may occur in a property; they can cause significant damage and destruction to wood and masonry and substantial disturbance and expense to remove. Stopping the source of the damp and eradicating the fungus assault are the only ways to deal with this severe wood rot problem.

Dry Rot will quickly spread throughout your home if left untreated, causing severe structural damage and requiring thousands of pounds in repairs. Each fungus spore has the potential to start a new dry rot epidemic somewhere else on your land. We are pretty thorough in our corrective work. We begin by identifying the exact source of the problem (damp) and eliminating it. The damaged timbers are cut out to beyond the last visible indication of mycelium, and the wall plaster is removed. Before replacing the woods with new pre-treated lumber and re-plastering following our specification, the walls and surviving timbers are thoroughly treated with high-performance timber preservatives.

The Consequences Of Dry Rot

The most serious problem with dry rot is that it might jeopardise your home’s structural stability. The odour, appearance, and feel of the wood are all minor concerns. It will also affect the ease with which you can sell your home.

Health Hazards

If the conditions in your home allow for dry rot, it can be harmful to your health. The elderly, children and anyone suffering from a respiratory illness such as asthma are especially vulnerable.

How do I discover how far Dry Rot has spread?

Whether or not you’ve discovered dry rot fungus at an early stage, if you have spotted it, a specialist will be able to track the dry rot outbreak. They will be able to follow the fungus across the various masonry and plaster it has spread across.

Dealing with the Source of Dampness

To solve issues with wet rot, it is crucial to identify the source of moisture and stop the cause of the damp. Depending on the cause of damp, our professionals will advise you on the best treatments available.

Fungicide Treatment

Depending on where the rot is located and the stage of infestation, an expert will treat your dry rot in a different approach. The inside of the wood will receive some treatments, while the outside of the wood will receive others. To try to prevent a recurrence, you might use a range of dry rot remedies. Boron gel can be used to cure and prevent dry rot in various quantities and concentrations.

Boron rods can also be injected and installed by a professional in your wood. These rods will go into the holes that have already been drilled. Boracol can treat dry rot in more complex situations if insects such as cockroaches are also present. After the treatment is finished, you can use dry rot repellent paint to safeguard your property from potential dry rot problems. This product contains a unique emulsion that prevents dry rot from spreading. It works on various surfaces, including wood, bricks, mortar, brickwork, and even plaster.

Why Choose Sussex Damp Experts?

Sussex Damp Experts has conducted several dry rot and damp surveys and restoration contracts on private and commercial properties. As one of Sussex’s leading dry rot, damp proofing, water damage, and woodworm removal specialists, we have an outstanding reputation. Hundreds of consumers have benefited from our professional dry rot and damp treatment, permanently solving their problems. All plastering is done following our Sussex Damp Experts’ Damp Proofing and Dry Rot re-plastering method, and we only use the safest and best high-performance timber preservatives.

Sussex Damp Experts are damp proofing specialists with experience in the following services:

• Eradication of Rising Damp – Installing a new damp proof course, expert damp proofing plastering, and refixing joinery timbers were all part of the project;
• Damp proofing – Installing a new damp proof course, expert damp proof plastering, and refixing joinery timbers were all part of the project;
• Penetrating Damp – Waterproofing the walls below ground structurally (Basement Tanking);
• Conversions of basements – Using a Cavity Drain Membrane System (CDM) to waterproof basements, cellars, and vaults;
• Restoration of water damage caused by burst pipes (private customers and insurance companies);
• Permeation of rain – Internal repairs and required waterproofing;
• Positive and passive ventilation systems used to control condensation and mould;
• Timber treatment;
• Eradication and repair of dry Rot;
• Eradication of woodworms and wet Rot;
• Repairing cracked bricks and cavity wall ties;
• Blocked Drains and structural resin lining;
• General property maintenance to eradicate and avoid damp.

Give us a call on 01273 257 765 or contact us to have one of our experts analyse your property and give you the best cost-effective advice on eliminating and repairing damp related problems.