What is Wet Rot?
Wet rot is the common name which is used to describe a number of wood destroying fungi species. The most common wet rot wood destroying species is “Coniophora Puteana” which is otherwise known as cellar fungus.
Wet rot fungi can affect timber that becomes damp and the fungi grows by breaking down the cell walls of the wood and feeding on the nutrients. This process can be extremely damaging to the structure of your home and it may result in the loss of structural strength of the timber.
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How Big A Problem Is Wet Rot?
How Big A Problem Is Wet Rot?
Firstly, wet rot should not be confused with the similarly named timber condition, dry rot. Although wet rot does not spread like dry rot, if it is left untreated, it could still cause structural damage to your home.
Wet rot targets unprotected timber that is affected by damp. Due to the often-poor weather conditions in Northern Ireland, wet rot is extremely common. Wet rot can cause structural defects within buildings, especially if they are unchecked with no wet rot treatment programme implemented.
In short, any unprotected timber in your home that becomes damp is at risk of a rot attack.
How Wet Rot occurs?
This may seem obvious, but in order to grow, the timber requires to be affected by a source of moisture. There are several things you can look out for that can cause damp that allows the growth of wet rot on timbers. Rising damp, Plumbing leaks and Penetrating damp from gutters, downpipes, defective masonry pointing and poor external render can all cause water penetration to affect built in timbers and result in an outbreak of wet rot.
Wet rot spores germinate and grow as damp raises the moisture content of the timber above 20% putting the timber at risk. Once the timber becomes infected, it will eventually lead to the timber losing its strength.
What are the signs of wet rot?
You may be wondering what the signs are of wet rot that could be affecting your home. If you recognise any of the signs below, we advise that you contact a member of our team immediately.
- Do you recognise a damp musty smell within your home?
- Is timber in your home cracking and beginning to soften?
- Does your floor move when you walk over it?
- Is timber in your home discoloured or weak?
- Is there fungal growth on sections of your wood?
There are many types of wet rot and each affects timber in different ways.
It is important to ensure that the outbreak of wet rot is diagnosed properly and that you are sure it is not dry rot. If you do not have the experience to identify and treat the outbreak you could make the situation worse and cost you more money to resolve. In the past, many of our customers have had difficulty identifying the difference between wet rot and dry rot. Knowing the difference is important as Dry rot is a serious wood destroying fungi that can be extremely damaging to the structure of your home and will travel away from the source of the outbreak.
If there is no obvious fungus present on the affected section of the wood it is sometimes difficult to determine wet rot from dry rot. One of our property care surveyors will get to the heart of the problem and diagnose the rot type and then specify the necessary treatment to eradicate it.
Firstly, wet rot should not be confused with the similarly named timber condition, dry rot. Although wet rot does not spread like dry rot, if it is left untreated, it could still cause structural damage to your home.
Wet rot targets unprotected timber that is affected by damp. Due to the often-poor weather conditions in Northern Ireland, wet rot is extremely common. Wet rot can cause structural defects within buildings, especially if they are unchecked with no wet rot treatment programme implemented.
In short, any unprotected timber in your home that becomes damp is at risk of a rot attack.
How Wet Rot occurs?
This may seem obvious, but in order to grow, the timber requires to be affected by a source of moisture. There are several things you can look out for that can cause damp that allows the growth of wet rot on timbers. Rising damp, Plumbing leaks and Penetrating damp from gutters, downpipes, defective masonry pointing and poor external render can all cause water penetration to affect built in timbers and result in an outbreak of wet rot.
Wet rot spores germinate and grow as damp raises the moisture content of the timber above 20% putting the timber at risk. Once the timber becomes infected, it will eventually lead to the timber losing its strength.
What are the signs of wet rot?
You may be wondering what the signs are of wet rot that could be affecting your home. If you recognise any of the signs below, we advise that you contact a member of our team immediately.
- Do you recognise a damp musty smell within your home?
- Is timber in your home cracking and beginning to soften?
- Does your floor move when you walk over it?
- Is timber in your home discoloured or weak?
- Is there fungal growth on sections of your wood?
There are many types of wet rot and each affects timber in different ways.
It is important to ensure that the outbreak of wet rot is diagnosed properly and that you are sure it is not dry rot. If you do not have the experience to identify and treat the outbreak you could make the situation worse and cost you more money to resolve. In the past, many of our customers have had difficulty identifying the difference between wet rot and dry rot. Knowing the difference is important as Dry rot is a serious wood destroying fungi that can be extremely damaging to the structure of your home and will travel away from the source of the outbreak.
If there is no obvious fungus present on the affected section of the wood it is sometimes difficult to determine wet rot from dry rot. One of our property care surveyors will get to the heart of the problem and diagnose the rot type and then specify the necessary treatment to eradicate it.
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Fully trained & accredited team
FAQ
Most frequent questions and answers
A thorough damp report by a certified professional will take around 2 to 3 hours. Every nook and cranny of your home will be inspected for moisture and assessed for damage. Get a damp proofing quote from a certified company to make sure you get the best service.
If you’re wondering if damp testing is something you pay for out of pocket, the answer is yes. After all, it’s not something that’s covered by home insurance. Fortunately, you can find qualified experts who can give you the services you need without breaking the bank. Contact our team for a certified surveyor to learn more.
You need an expert surveyor to check your home to ascertain no stone is left unturned. Missing out on a damp spot will render any job useless because things can escalate rapidly once again. If you want things done right and avoid back jobs that cost money and impinge on your time, get professional help.
A damp report cost in the UK is between £150 and £400. Fortunately, you can get really good service with competitive pricing based on the size of the property for £150 – £300. Don’t delay getting a damp survey if you see signs of dampness in your home to avoid exacerbating the problem.
