Wet And Dry Rot
A dry rot fungus turns solid wood into brown, lightweight, cracked material that breaks when you handle it. A wet rot fungus does the same, but the wood is light coloured and turns to dust when you rub it between your hands. Wood rot can attack any damp wood in your house — most often rafters, studs, beams and sills.The best defence is careful maintenance. If wood rot has established itself in your home, repairing the damage is an exacting and usually expensive job.
Wood-eating fungi grow like plants, but they can't make their own food from sunlight, water and air. To live, they must eat wood.
The fungus can gain a foothold when a spore lands on damp wood, germinates, and sends out root-like cells called hyphae. The hyphae grow and spread, and penetrate the wood, digesting it as they go along. Eventually fruiting bodies appear which produce millions of spores, and the cycle starts again.
Before a spore can germinate, the moisture level in the wood must be at least 20 per cent. Before it can start eating lumber, the moisture level must be at least 30 per cent.
A wet rot fungus needs a constant supply of moisture to continue growth. A dry rot fungus doesn't. In areas with poor ventilation, it can generate its own moisture from the wood.
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May 20, 2012