Search This Site

Search With Google

You may not be aware of this but do not panic. Dry rot spores are present in pretty much every home to some degree. However on their own these dry rot spores are harmless. These dry rot spores become a problem once they are given water. Any excess moisture in the home will feed the spores and they will germinate to form a large fluffy cotton wool lookalike fungus.

On reaching this stage in its life cycle, dry rot will be a serious problem in attacking the structure and integrity of you timber in the home.

There are 4 main stages in the lifecycle of dry rot:

Spores - These spores are invisible to the naked eye, but in large numbers appear as an orangy brown dust. They remain dormant unless they are combined with timber and moisture.

Hyphae - When moisture and timber are around dry rot spores will begin to grow. White strands will form, looking like cobwebs, known as hypae which feed off the timber and allow the fungus to grow.

Mycelium - You will never find a dry rot spore on its own. If one germinates then others will germinate at the same time forming a hypae mass which is known as mycelium.

Fruiting Body -  Dry rot mycelium will grow at a rapid rate in dark and damp conditions with little air movement. The mycelium will create a fruiting body in a mushroom shape form. This body allows the fungus to survive and produce more spores.

Dry Rot

On This Site

Wood moisture meter

Concrete moisture meter

Garden moisture meter

Sponsored Links

Unfortunately dry rot is one of the most damaging conditions you can have in your building. In order for dry rot to flourish it requires moisture. This moisture can come from many different sources in the home.

So keeping a check of any potential moisture problems is essentail to the upkeep of you home. You can frequently test your home for any potential moisture content problems with a suitable building moisture meter. This moisture meter will alert you to any issues which you can then proceed to rectify.

Once dry rot starts to grow and flourish you will very quickly have a serious home problem. The dry rot will inflict some serious damage on timber anywhere in the home.

The longer you do not do anything about dry rot, the more serious it will become and the more damage will be caused. If anything can be compared to a snowball effect, dry rot is most definitely one of them.

Moisture Meter Guide 2010                                                                                               Contact details:garnett65@hotmail.com

The complete moisture meter website

Moisture Meter Guide

Building Moisture Meter

Life Cycle Of Dry Rot

The treatment of dry rot incorporates the removal of any infected material along with the elimination of the source of moisture that the fungus thrives on. Such materials as timber, plaster, floors and brickwork must all be removed from the vicinity.

The moisture source must be detected using a building moisture meter and then eliminated before drying the whole area out.

Any dry rot that is present must be collected up and disposed of properly.

After removing the dry rot, eliminating the moisture source and removing infected materials you must treat any remaining masonry and timber with suitable fungicides and timber preservatives.

All removed timbers are replaced with new timbers that have been pre-treated, wrapped and then isolated in a fungidal bandage.

The wall plaster must be renewed as well.

Treating dry rot can be time consuming and very expensive to carry out. So ensure it is done properly to prevent having the job done again.

The last thing you want after a dry rot breakout is to have another one!

Treating Dry Rot