When your home is invaded by fungus there are steps you can take to help manage and protect your home. Managing mold, mildew, and guarding against decay fungi. The most important thing to do is once mold, mildew, and decay fungi is noticed is to find the source where the water is coming from.
Peeling and blistering paint is often a signal of inadequate interior ventilation, or missing a vapor barrior.
Mold and mildew
Mold can grow on any organic material such as cloth carpet, leather, wood, wallboard, houshold dust, and more. Mold needs a surface moisture content of about 20% to get
started, if you add air and 90% relative humidity and any temperature above
40-100 F degrees then presto you have conditions for mold to survive. Simply by
improving the circulation of air can help prevent mold and mildew in indoor
spaces. Sometimes you can simply use mild soap and water to wash mildew and
mold clean. After cleaning treat the affected area with a preventative mold
control solution such as Concrobium
Mold Control. Mold is an area to be concerned with in a home. Protect
your family and have it tested to make sure it is not Black toxic mold to keep
your home safe. If your home has mold, contact a mold remediation company for
precaution measures. Mold and mildew can be found on North-facing walls
and exterior walls shaded by foundation plantings or trees. Musty odors can be
found in mold, mildew, and decay fungi “wood-rot”.
Seasonal wood rot
When wood rots it can be a breeding ground for fungus and
pest. Ants and termites are attracted to wet and decaying wood because it is
soft and weak. Borates can be a nifty solution to keep the pest away.
Wet rot
The most common wet rot is called Cellar Fungus (Coniophora
Puteana). Any timber exposed to moisture can provide an ideal breeding ground
for wet rot spores. Wet rot can occur for a number of reasons. When wood is
exposed in excess of 30% moisture for an extended time, wet rot can develop.
The cause may be due from broken or clogged gutters, leaking down spouts,
leaking plumbing pipes or faulty HVAC drain lines, or wicking due to moisture
absorbing from the ground in to the wood. As the wet wood allows the wet rot to
grow and thrive. The fungus germinates and spreads, it destroys the integrity
of wood. This fungus generally appears moist to the touch, dark in color, and
sometimes has white growths surrounding the decaying area.
Soft rot
Soft rot fungi are
typically found in wet wood showing the first signs of decay. Wood infected
with soft rot can become quite soft and spongy. Other than the softness of the
wood and perhaps discoloration of the surface, there may be no apparent signs
of a soft rot infestation.
Dry rot
Dry rot thrives in summer months and may cause immense
damage. The cause may be due from gutters, damaged down-pipes, leaking plumbing
pipes or rain water coming off the roof, or chronic condensation. The most
common areas the dry rot can be found around the home are under sub floors,
under roofs, and sometimes on skirting boards. The decayed wood has a dark or
browner crumbly appearance, with cubical cracking or checking. The wood becomes
brittle when handled and can crumble into powder. To help resolve this rot is
to improve ventilation in the area. Dry rot fungus resembles much like plant
like fungus growing on surfaces. Brown rot is another form dry rot this decay stops
when the moisture is below 20%. Brown rots consume cellulose, hardly touching
the darker lignin. When you consider the reproductive power of fungi on a
square foot of dry rot fungus fruity body can produce five million spores per
minute over a period of many days. These microscopic dust-like particles are
shed in clouds from the parent and can float in air over long distances. Since
there is every likelyhood that spores of wood rotting fungi will be present
where ever wood is used.
Guarding against decay fungi – Wood rot treatment
Remove and replace the effected wood rot. Clean up the affected
area to remove debris, and contaminates. Treat wood surfaces with a wood preservative
and borate solution such as Boracare, or Timbor to prolong the life.
Learn more about wood decay in houses.
Don’t just treat the mildew, mold or decay problem. You need
to eliminate the cause! Many problems can be avoided by simply keeping the wood
dry, weather sealed and preserved through routine maintenance.
If your home needs siding repairs, take action now and schedule Mr. Fix-It Handyman Service to fix up your home!
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