Saturday, January 22, 2011

Dry Rot

What is dry rot? Well dry rot is decay that happens in the timber, in buildings or any wood structured building. It is caused by certain typs of fungi. This type of rot occurs with out the source of water. The history of dry rot goes back in time with the decay of cured wood in construction. Point in case dry wood versus newly felled trees. The fungus that causes dry rot usually attacks the part of the wood that provides the wood's strenght, and stiffness. Weak wood is somewhat on the dry side, and this is where the name dry rot came from. It may even have a brittle and or blockly bubbly look. The odd side of it dry rot results from to much moisture in contact with the wood. This fungus has the ability to transport water from wet areas to dry areas. This is what allows the fungus to grow. And it is growing in dry wood. It can eventually disintegrate wood if left untreated. So often dry rot is confused and thought to be a carpenter ant or termite problem. Of course when trying to prevent dry rot damage, you want to try and reduce excess moisture. If you have a leaky pipe or infiltration problem, you want to get it contained as soon as possible.

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