Wet Rot, although it is as destructive as dry rot. treatment can be limited to the affected timbers.
As with dry rot the removal of the moisture source is imperative for a successful outcome on all treatment works ,and then a repair plan can then be implemented with long term success.
There are several types of wet rot but the main one’s we deal with are:
- Cellar fungus (Coniophora puteana)
- Mine fungus (Fibroporia vaillantii)
Cellar fungus is another important wood-destroying fungi is buildings, besides dry rot.. It does not only occur in buildings, but can be found in timber storage sites, wood with ground contact (such as fence posts, garden sheds without a base). It attacks both coniferous and deciduous timbers.
It differs to dry rot, cellar fungus needs elevated levels of wood moisture for growth and behaves more sensitively to drying, as it hasn’t a protective skin of mycelium.
Classified as a brown rot.
Identification
Again with all brown rots the wood cracks in a cuboidal manner although the cuboidal cracking can be smaller than with dry rot.
Fruiting bodies are white, but in the course of their growth, they develop a layer of brown spores in the middle. The fruiting body is normally about 2 mm thick, with characteristic brown protuberances on the surface.
Cellar fungus forms fine fungal strands, which are white to begin with, but turn dark brown/black later on in their development, these are weak and thin, strand like structures.
Mine fungus
This is also classified as a brown rot that has the distinctive cuboidal cracking when decaying and can sometimes be confused with dry rot.
Identification
The fruiting body is pure white and has honeycomb shaped pores when viewed from above, can be up to 12 mm thick and can also have an orange tinge, the mycelium has pure white strands that fan out, when clarifying this rot as opposed to dry rot, you must dry out the strands and then bend them to see if it cracks or remains flexible, if it remains flexible then it will be mine fungus and if it cracks you must suspect dry rot.
The treatment remains the same , cut off the moisture source and replace all affected timber and promote drying.