Discussion
About 15 years ago (before I bought the house) the gutters were left damaged for some time and the walls got seriously wet which over time has caused dry rot to set in. Some of the joists have been attacked and have crumbled.
The gutters were replaced some 10 years ago and the area is now bone dry.
I have recently discovered the dry rot, and have replaced the joists and wall plate. However, I can still see 'strands' of the dry rot in the brickwork. I have sprayed what I can see with a cuprinol product which seems to have worked on what I can see.
My question is, now the area is completely dry and the new wood is treated, etc, do I need to worry about these strands of dry rot which will be left in the brickwork? I know the specialists will want to drill and inject the area with their product and naturally want to charge me thousands to do it. Will it continue to grow if there is no moisture in that area any more, or does it die off after a period of time?
Thanks in advance!
The gutters were replaced some 10 years ago and the area is now bone dry.
I have recently discovered the dry rot, and have replaced the joists and wall plate. However, I can still see 'strands' of the dry rot in the brickwork. I have sprayed what I can see with a cuprinol product which seems to have worked on what I can see.
My question is, now the area is completely dry and the new wood is treated, etc, do I need to worry about these strands of dry rot which will be left in the brickwork? I know the specialists will want to drill and inject the area with their product and naturally want to charge me thousands to do it. Will it continue to grow if there is no moisture in that area any more, or does it die off after a period of time?
Thanks in advance!
rvttim said:
If there are strands visable they need to be removed. Find the last strand in all directions and then remove the plaster a further 1m untill a full 1m has no visable strands.
What type of wall is it, if its a cavity or solid 9 inch wall. as both need injecting with the chemical.
That use to be the way it was dealt with but not now.What type of wall is it, if its a cavity or solid 9 inch wall. as both need injecting with the chemical.
The conventional way of dealing with dry rot was, as you say, to remove everything 1m beyond the last identifiable evidence. That might be affected plaster or it could be timber e.g joists or skirtings.
Whilst there is usually a need to remove some timber one can often rtain much more than might otherwise be expected. Looking back to some of the cases I have dealt with I have usually specified the 1m rule.
it is important to note that this is typically recommended by damp proofing companies who make rather a lot of money out of erplacement timber and replastering.
The following might be of interest.
http://www.buildingpreservation.com/index.php?opti...
Each case is on it's merits though and specialist advice should always be sought.
Whilst there is usually a need to remove some timber one can often rtain much more than might otherwise be expected. Looking back to some of the cases I have dealt with I have usually specified the 1m rule.
it is important to note that this is typically recommended by damp proofing companies who make rather a lot of money out of erplacement timber and replastering.
The following might be of interest.
http://www.buildingpreservation.com/index.php?opti...
Each case is on it's merits though and specialist advice should always be sought.
Cheers Silverthorn2151
Respect your views and understand that damp proof firms rip people off and always paint the darkest picture.
But having worked for a DP company many moons ago they are giving a guarantee and have to make sure (as I have worked on jobs where it has come back).
But generally take away the right growth enviroment, dark, damp, right temp (cant remember the exact fig)and all should be ok
Respect your views and understand that damp proof firms rip people off and always paint the darkest picture.
But having worked for a DP company many moons ago they are giving a guarantee and have to make sure (as I have worked on jobs where it has come back).
But generally take away the right growth enviroment, dark, damp, right temp (cant remember the exact fig)and all should be ok
Cheers guys, I did remove the plaster (it was shot anyway) and have changed the timbers (wall pan and joists). The strands I am referring to are in a solid 9 inch wall. I have sprayed the wall with cuprinol dry rot killer, but obviously the strands will still be in the brickwork. The area is now dry and ventilated. I haven't called in a damp specialist as I know they will want to drill and inject the area. My question was will the strands just sit there not harming anything and eventually die off, or will they carry on spreading and eventually find and attack more timber?
rvttim said
But having worked for a DP company many moons ago they are giving a guarantee and have to make sure (as I have worked on jobs where it has come back).
Yes but dry rot only reappears if there is damp present and the guarantees state that you must maintain your property and if damp is present then you haven't maintained your property properly. So you have invalidated the guarantee
I have been in a good few Edwardian and Victorian buildings where dry rot strands were there under the plaster from many years before and don't forget that the chemical treatment is injected with water lots of it. It used to be common to run a blowlamp over the wall to get rid of the strands.
But having worked for a DP company many moons ago they are giving a guarantee and have to make sure (as I have worked on jobs where it has come back).
Yes but dry rot only reappears if there is damp present and the guarantees state that you must maintain your property and if damp is present then you haven't maintained your property properly. So you have invalidated the guarantee
I have been in a good few Edwardian and Victorian buildings where dry rot strands were there under the plaster from many years before and don't forget that the chemical treatment is injected with water lots of it. It used to be common to run a blowlamp over the wall to get rid of the strands.
And isolate all new timber from the masonry with a plastic membrane. Also don't assume that the dry rot was caused by the gutter, it may have been an earlier, dormant outbreak that flourished with the new water source. This should be fairly obvious once you start tracking it with the plaster off.
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