As timber treatment specialists, winter is our busy season for wet rot. Between the snow, rain, and constantly fluctuating temperatures, we see a lot of water problems that eventually develop into a wet rot condition. We are happy to say that discovering wet rot in your home is not the end of the world. If it is addressed soon enough, it is far less damaging than dry rot.
Wet rot is a problem with some interesting characteristics. We've taken the time to list three of those characteristics below. How many of them do you already know about?
1. It Is Not Confined to a Single Type of Fungus
The one characteristic about wet rot that surprises most people is the fact that it is not confined to a single kind of fungus. There are many different kinds of wet rots affecting timbers throughout Britain. The one thing they all have in common is moisture. The spores responsible for creating a wet rot condition require plenty of water to do what they do.
Most timbers have at least some water content that helps keep them strong and pliable. Anything over about 20% is a good candidate for a wet rot infestation. The kind of spores that will latch onto a particular timber vary according to location, weather conditions, moisture content, and so forth.
2. Spores Can Hang out for A While
Wind-born spores that attach themselves to timbers may go to work right away reproducing and overtaking the wood. But they don't necessarily have to. The spores can actually hang about for quite some time before getting about their business. They just need access to enough water to keep them alive.
In theory, it is possible for the fungus responsible for a wet rot condition to find its way to a source of wood in midwinter but not begin growing and spreading until late spring. This is largely because wet rot needs just the right conditions to proliferate.
3. It Can Spread Where There Is No Water
A significant difference between wet and dry rot is observed in the spreading of the condition. Dry rot spreads very easily and rapidly as compared to its wet rot cousin. Why? Because wet rot cannot spread where there is no water. The fungus relies on water to reproduce. Where there is no water, fungus dies.
This is why timber treatment specialists concentrate on finding the source of the water that is feeding a wet rot condition. Eliminate that source and you eliminate the possibility of the wet rot spreading.
Thames Valley Timber Treatment are timber treatment specialists with a long history of helping customers eliminate wet rot conditions. Given that this is the busiest time of year for wet rot, a thorough search of your property might reveal problems. We invite you to contact us if that is the case. We can help you eliminate wet rot and advise you as to how much damage it has done.