The dry rot fungus (or dry rot), also known as “the leprosy of houses” (which says it all…), is a fungus that poses a real scourge for our homes! It targets wood, cardboard, and books in the damp rooms of dwellings, before devouring the entire structure, sometimes requiring demolition.
The Dry Rot: The Ogre of Woodwork
The woodwork of older houses, damp and poorly ventilated, or unoccupied second homes that sit idle for long stretches, are the preferred feeding grounds of this wood-rotting fungus (one that has nothing edible about it).
Moreover, the dry rot grows rapidly, as it can reach eight meters, spreading in all directions, up to 4 mm per day. The more confined the environment, the faster the fungus expands!
Dry Rot: A Plague for Entire Communities
Not only can dry rot doom a single dwelling to total destruction, but it can also infest entire communities through adjacent buildings. Towns hit by floods can suddenly find themselves literally infested overnight…
Furthermore, the dry rot travels easily. Indeed, people, wind, and animals act as vectors, allowing spores that cling to baseboards, floors, walls, and ceilings to invade a region.
When conditions are not suitable, the fungus does not die but enters a period of latency and can “wake up” again as soon as humidity and temperature become favorable once more.
How to Get Rid of Dry Rot?
Fighting dry rot is feasible as soon as it appears, provided you notice it, by pinpointing the infected areas, applying coatings and cements, and ensuring proper ventilation before the spraying step.
Once the dry rot is dead, you must dispose of the suspect wood, attacked by the spores, and replace it with new material, rebuild the disintegrated walls, sterilize all remaining wood, and inject biological fungicides. If the house can be saved, the damage can be extensive and the treatment difficult.
Dry Rot Countermeasures
When wood is infested by dry rot, demolition is sometimes the only solution, with the materials then burned to prevent the rot from hopping to a neighbor!
In any case, prospective home buyers are strongly advised to take precautions before purchasing to determine whether a house is infected, since the fungus is often discovered during renovation work.
Finally, know that preventive anti-dry-rot treatments are available, at a much lower cost than curative treatments.
How to Prevent a Dry Rot Invasion?
- Eliminate any source of moisture: monitor roof leaks, water supply lines, properly ventilate spaces (kitchen, bathroom, laundry), and curb rising damp from basements.
- Avoid storing wood waste in basements or in damp, poorly ventilated storage areas.
- Treat sound wood proactively with boron salts, for example. Before treatment, verify that the wood has not been industrially pre-treated.
In a well-designed, well-built, well-maintained, and well-ventilated home, dry rot has no chance.
