"Rusty" wrote in message
...

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
Rusty wrote:

I would nopt be so drastic. My old house was full of rot when I took it
down, but it was confined to areas that had existing damp problems.

Once you get the damp out, the rot dies. Just make good as you see fit,
but pay 110% attention to damp.


Isn't this confusing wet rot with dry rot. Dry rot brings its own
moisture in from its roots just like ivy, hence the name.

It does not.

Wet rot can only survive
in damp and will die when the moisture goes.

As wiul 'dry'

Dry is called dry because it leaves a superficially dry powdery residue
rather than wet rot which leads to sponginness and superficially damp
appearances.


I found my dry rot specimen thriving in a thin void where cement render
and bricks had separated due to poor adhesion, and growing from next
door
through a crack in the brick work. Conditions were desert dry but it
had almost reached my ceiling joists.. After cuprinol dry rot
treatment
it hasn't reappeared since 1989 so I hope its gone.


If it was growing they were not dry.


Well OK, a fine distinction. Moisture must be ultimately necessary.
Wet rot needs local moisture and isn't mobile through dry parts.
Dry rot can carry moisture from any wood it has infected through its
tendrils which can grow for many metres through arid conditions in search
of
more damp wood. So it's highly mobile Also I believe it doubles up on
this creeper propagation by throwing off spores from the white candy floss
effect, but I never had this.

rusty



There appears to be a certain amount of conflicting information as to why
exactly Dry rot is so called - another source that I had read stated that it
was probably so called because it could exist in timbers with a lower
moisture content than wet rots. Others suggest otherwise.

One article I did come across was relatively informative in describing the
conditions required for dry rot, the mechanism of it's breakdown and
suggestions for remediation:

http://www.human.cornell.edu/units/d...al96/fungi.htm

Scottish Heritage (or whatever they're called) also published some research
on dry rot remediation - along with other preservation societies they have a
very big interest in rot management without drastic replacement of ancient
timbers. They had constructed models where dry rot was deliberately
allowed to grow and thrive, and then introduced ventilation into the
equation - the effect on the rot was dramatic and rapid decline.

Two courses of action are common to pretty much all advice on treatment:
remove the source of moisture (ie fix leaks, etc) and restore proper
ventilation.

I'd replace timber if it was structurally compromised, but I think that talk
of removing all timber in the vicinity & burning it, and replastering the
lot is complete overkill - spores are going to be everywhere in the
environment by this point anyway, so it's not going to make much difference.

I've had to tackle rot on three occasions now - twice in my house and once
in our rented flat (caused by upstairs soil pipe leaking into internal
boxwork over the course of 6 months or so...). I haven't burnt a single
piece of timber due to it (reckon that this is the equivalent of middle ages
burning witches at the stake) but have sorted out ventilation, and replaced
timber where it was structurally knackered. Touch wood (!), it hasn't
returned, and nor has the musty telltale smell.

--
Richard Sampson

mail me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk