What Is Dry Rot And How Can I Spot It?

By Greg Vanden Berge


When people think about dry rot they are usually talking about a fungus that grows when the wet wood is exposed to excessive moisture.

The wet wood will create a home for the fungus spores and these fungus spores can multiply at an amazing speed, starting to destroy your wood framed house, patios or other outdoor structures.

Here's something important that I would like you to remember about wood rot. It's nature's process for cleaning up the environment and nothing more. When a tree falls and lies on the ground, it will absorb moisture and start to decay.

Now how can I spot wood rot? You're going to be looking for damaged wood and this will usually be around a spot where moisture is either accumulating constantly or draining off of something constantly.

A good place to look for wood rot would be at the bottom of a post where it is in direct contact with cement based products or concrete and look for areas where water sits or pools up around these wood posts regularly.

Your roof fascia board is another good spot to look, because water can be draining off of your roof daily, especially if you live in a moist area. This is pretty common around the beach areas.

Dry rot can also be found on outdoor patios or any exposed wood siding on the outside of your house. Keep one thing in mind when looking for dry rot that's the direct result from water damage. You're going to need to stop the water from leaking onto the wood or accumulating around these areas, if possible, before you should do any home repairs.


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