Brian G wrote:

Phil,

In my experience, there is only ONE way to treat *true* dry rot - and
that
is to be drastic.

Very briefly:

Remove and replace ALL timber within the infection area and upto 3
feet
(1metre) away from the last signs of the infection and burn it - even
if its
not showing signs of dry rot.

binbags are somewhat more convenient disposal I find.


Hack off ALL the render and plaster within the area stated above and
dispose
of it carefully (try not to drop it around the house).

no need.


Properly treat ALL the wall on the exposed parts with the correct
chemical
solution.

no need. No plant life can survive being dried out.


Treat ALL new timber again with the proper solution.

or if its a wet prone room, get tanalised timber.


Mix a dry rot killer with the render and then re-render the exposed
walls.

way off

Ensure that all ventillation grills are open to ensure a good
airflow.

Bear in mind that *true* dry-rot fungus will spread through
brickwork,
stonework, render etc to infect timber far from the original site if
not
treated properly.

only if you dont fix the damp. And even then it can only grow on damp
wood elsewhere


Again, in my experience, if the infection is fairly serious, I would
advise
that you contact a specialist firm to carry out the chemical kill
procedure
for you, as they have the expertise to do the job properly and will
usually
give a guarantee on the work they have done - the added bonus is that
the
will correctly identify the rot.

you dont work for one of these ripoff companies do you?


With regards to my statement of *true* dry rot - there is wet-rot
fungus
that looks similar to dry rot and the simple cure for this is just to
eradicate the incoming moisture and the job is done - after replacing
the
rotten timber.

no, there is no type of dry rot that survives dryness. The solution is
always dryness.


As a matter of interest, I have seen new floors and windows replaced
in a
house where the dry rot had not been properly treated, and these
lasted all
of two years before needing to be done again - it was expensive as
the rot
had progressed to other areas as well.

of course, if you dont fix the damp, that will happen.


Hope this helps.

Brian G


Sounds like someone's been talking to a dry rot treatment salesmen.
This advice is quite off track, and the facts wrong.

It can be difficult to get a shower room dry if you have several people
taking showers. The best solution to this is a humidistatic
dehumidifier.


NT