dry rot

[normanwisdom]

I know what mature developed dry rot looks like but how do you recognise it in it's early stages? I've got some newish floor timbers in a suspended ground floor which have aquired a light growth of fluffy white bits which tend to sage-green to grey where most dense. Is this dry rot on the way or something else? Whatever it is I'm not too worried as I am putting in underfloor ventilation and other measures so it will go away (touch wood). Incidentally this floor was "treated" for dry rot by a Mansfield firm called 'Bagguley & Jenkins" some years ago. Everything they did was appalling and has had to be done again, Don't touch them with a barge pole - it'll immediately go down with dry rot if you do!

cheers

Jacob

[The Natural Philosopher]

It sounds like rot all right.

Before you seal it all up, get a specialist firm in. Not one thats selling product - someone like a consulting structural engineer.

It might be something else, but I am surprised that pressure treated timbers were not used.

I am also surprised its rotting, there should be underfloor ventilation and a damp proof course.

I think a much fuller description of the layout, and if possible a pointer to a photo of all this would be in order.

Whatever you do don't press on regardless if there is any doubt on this.

You may have a case to sue the builder if the work is so bad that its rotting.

[Chris Bacon]

Could be mould. If you want to know what early dry rot looks like there're plenty of pictures on Google. If it looks as if there are tendrils (or thread-like roots) that's a bad sign.

This looks good:

you ever been in a place as shoen in the "spore" pics?

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Definatly not dry rot,what your describing needs moisture for it to grow.

I used to live on a ground floor flat, this stuff was growing on the beams in the cellar and was caked in it,the floor was so bad they had to find me alternative accomadation as the landlord was not prepared to shell out to have the whole beam structure replaced,it was also growing on the internal brickwork.

Best solve the problem now and quick before it really gets an hold otherwise your your looking at a few grand to resolve it.

[normanwisdom]

Yebbut there is presumably an early stage between the spore and the developing hyphae as shown in Chris Bacon's link

just want to know what it looks like.

cheers Jacob

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

See if this sheds any light on the subject?

[normanwisdom]

Ooh yes it looks like mouldy cheese come to think. Whats the diff with fungus? Does early dry rot look like mould?

If you want to know what early dry rot looks

Couldn't find pics of early (pre hyphae) dry rot. Am now googling mould (or mold)

cheers Jacob

[VisionSet]

W

[Phil L]

All rots are wet rots, apart from surpula lacrymans (dry rot) which is brown, all take moisture from timbers and weaken the wood, dry rot 'travels' better and quicker than wet rots and can travel inbetwen plaster and brickwork, brickwork and brickwork and can really work it's way along an entire street if left unchecked. Your white mould is a wet rot, remove the moisture and it will die, it cannot survive on dry timbers, unlike S. lacrymans. Your idea to introduce ventilation will see it off, although good cross-flow ventilation should have been in place from the beginning....one or two vent bricks at one elevation is no good at all, it needs at least 3 nine by six vents on each side if it's a semi, and four on each side if it's a mid terraced.

[normanwisdom]

> --

Thanks. Been there already - it's all rampant mature stuff in the pics

- no early 1st growth. Am on to mould instead such as here

. I think it is a mould - moulds/fungi/mildew/mushrooms are all fungi but diff species.

cheers

Jacob

[The Natural Philosopher]

All moulds and fungi are..moulds and fungi! And all require water to grow..

Dry rot is so called because when its ruined the wood, what is left looks like a dry powder.

uy probably HAVEN't got dry rot, but yuy HAVEW gota fungal infection

Dry it and apply antifungal and KEEP it dry.

[Rob Morley]

Sounds like the sort of stuff that grows in my fridge occasionally :-) I don't think it's anything that's going to threaten your house or be hard to fix, as long as it's not the sort of mould that causes repiratory disorders.

[Cicero]

============================== Since this firm did such a bad job it's quite possible that they failed to treat the joist housings in the brickwork. This could be the source of the new infestation.

It might be worth removing the infected timbers and replacing with new pressure treated timber - after treating the brickwork of course. Although it's a bit messy and time-consuming replacing damaged timber is often cheaper and more cost effective than slopping gallons of fungicide over the joists.

p.s. Look under the floor for any 'dead' areas that aren't cleared by cross ventilation. For example, look near the stairs to see if there's a space that doesn't get a good direct flow of air. Put in an extra airbrick if you find such an area.

Cic.

[Mark]

Early stage look like white cotton wool, Ive got some pictures from a job I did recently I will put them up so you can see what it looks like. If your property had a resent attack of dry rot and it spored ie red brick dust everywhere it can be very difficult to kill off completely, the spores can sit dormant for months in underfloor brickwork before taking off again. Lots of ventilation is good but, the rotten timber I throw into the garden with the intention of burning grow a quite amazing new growth of fungus outside :-( boron preservative seems to work ok on wood, if you have damp earth under the suspended floor cheep thick bleach also works to kill the spores as they germinate.

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