How do Complete Preservation know that our dry rot treatment works. I have been growing dry rot for a number of years now, and have a really good understanding of dealing with a dryrot outbreak.
Dry rot (Serpula Lacrymans) is the most famous of the rots and is the most serious. If left to grow dry rot will cause thousands of pounds worth of damage, dry rot can cause timber decay at lower moisture content than wet rot that is why the cause of the problem needs to be identified and rapid drying of the area is needed.
Dry rot repair works are mostly over specified, and there is this mis conception that everything needs to be cut back 1 meter. This maybe acceptable on a 3″ x 2″ piece of softwood, but not an historic listed building. We have worked on some very large listed building with huge oak timbers built into soaking wet walls that would take years to dry down, these needed protection by the use of penetrating gels to ensure that whilst drying down no dry rot will come back and attack the timbers. It also important that if timbers are to be left, that bearing ends of timbers are drill resistance tested to check the structural integrity of the timber.
We offer the complete service from initial survey, rapid drying of the area in question using specialist desiccant dehumidifiers, sympathetic repairs along with some form of treatment where necessary.
This image shows dry rot in the basement of a property in Wiltshire, Complete Preservation also carried out the treatment of the dry rot outbreak.
This image shows dry rot in a newly renovated property in Somerset, Complete Preservation also carried out the treatment of the dry rot outbreak.
Dry rot (Serpula Lacrymans) is the most famous of the rots and is the most serious. If left to grow dry rot will cause thousands of pounds worth of damage, dry rot can cause timber decay at lower moisture content than wet rot that is why the cause of the problem needs to be identified and rapid drying of the area is needed.
Unfortunately dry rot is rather ‘secretive’ in its activity, preferring stagnant, humid conditions. Hence, when it is discovered the damage it has caused is frequently very extensive.
Dry rot treatment and surveys need to be carried out by an experienced professional surveyor with an understanding of buildings and the ability to kill off the dry rot outbreak first time.
This image shows decay by the wet rot cellar fungus, Coniophora Puteana in a Wiltshire property. Decay by wet rot fungi such as the cellar fungus, Coniophora Puteana, tends to remain more localized.
Wet rot (Coniophora Puteana) the Cellar Fungus is the most common cause of wet rot of timber in buildings this is not as expensive to repair as dry rot and is normally found in skirting boards and sub floor plates and joists.
This image shows the signs of long-term active woodworm infestation by the Common furniture beetle, this property was in Trowbridge Wiltshire.
As the name suggests, is the most common insect that attacks softwood and European hardwood. Larvae hatch out from the eggs and burrow into the timber feeding on the sapwood, progressively weakening it, for up to four years; when fully grown the larvae are approximately 3mm long. Adult beetles emerge from the timber at the completion of the pupa stage through 1-2mm diameter flight holes. Treatment of the common furniture beetle is by means of a water-based micro emulsion insecticide containing permethrin which is applied under a course spray treatment to all accessible timber surfaces. The common furniture beetle (Anobium Punctatum) is normally found in loft areas , under stairs, suspended ground floors and other areas affected by damp.
We carry out lots of common furniture beetle and woodworm treatments, contact Complete Preservation for a specialist woodworm survey in Bath, Trowbridge, Frome, Chippenham, Marlborough, Devizes, Wiltshire and Somerset. We cover the South West for timbers with woodworm and common furniture beetle infestation.
The common furniture beetle (Anobium Punctatum) is normally found in loft areas around the hatch, under stairs, sub floors and other areas affected by dampness.
Click on our Youtube video to see an active woodworm infestation of a sub floor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja1GUwQsg88
Read our blog post on woodworm treatment and what equipment is neededhttps://blog.completepreservation.co.uk/2013/05/29/woodworm-and-deathwatch-beetle-treatment
This image shows the signs of long term active Deathwatch beetle infestation. Joist ends were destroyed and the also the wall plate in this Somerset property.
This image of a large bearing end timber in a Wiltshire property was destroyed by a Deathwatch beetle infestation, and needed a timber resin repair.
This image shows the Deathwatch Beetle (Xestobium Rufovillosum) from a property in Wiltshire.
Deathwatch beetle is normally found attacking hardwood timbers, especially when timbers are partially decayed by fungal decay. We normally find this infestation on the bearing end timbers built into walls and lintels. Sometimes the damage is so extreme the bearing end timbers will require a timber resin repair or a whole new timber replacement.
The adult Death Watch Beetle is 6-9mm long and chocolate brown, the life cycle can be around 10 years depending on conditions.
Deathwatch Beetle is quite a common issue down my area in the South West, but most of the time I find it isn’t active.
Right first thing first is it actually active? If it’s active you normally can here them tapping when your house is quiet at night.
If you’re getting lots of the bun shaped frass beneath the timbers in your property, it doesn’t always necessarliy mean it’s actaully active. A tip is to get a hoover, and hoover all the little cracks, to remove dust, and any old frass. The reason for this is because the amount of Deathwatch beetle infetations I’ve been to just because there has been some vibration on the timber above, and old frass and dust has been disturbed.
You can also also wrap timbers with a piece of paper, which could be some brown or black sugar paper. Using this method you will see if there is activty because you will see small holes of around 3mm during the flight season in the warmer weather.
Active Deathwatch beetle is associated with moisture within the timber, and also possibly timber decay. So get a cheap damp meter and check moisture contents especially bearing ends of the timbers, and see if these are damp. Investigate externally for potential causes, like gutter leaks, defective pointing, defective paint….. anything that can be causing a damp issue. Please remember also the bearing end timbers built into walls will always be colder, and susbseqently have a higher humidity, so this alone can be a problem, as this can provide an increase in humidy, and increase the wood moisture content.
I resistant drill bearing end timbers to see if there is more of an issue inside of the bearing end. The reason this needs checking as this is where most damage occurs. If the wall is very wet, and also a very thick, sometimes you can dry the wall and timber timber down very carefully with specialist drying equipment. On a few occasions when very thick walls have been saturated, I have exposed the timber going through the wall to aid drying also.
Deathwatch beetle is known to cause severe structural damage so make sure you keep on top of your maintenance of your building.
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