Wet & Dry Rot Treatment

SRS (Sewage Restoration Services) provide a professional service for the treatment of dry rot, wet rot or rising damp for business customers & individuals, if your business or home are afflicted with any of these it is usually as a result of moisture finding its way into timber or brickwork allowing the fungal growth to establish itself.

Typical causes are incorrectly carried out flood remediation, plumbing leaks, gutter leaks or roofing defects. Damp, poorly ventilated environments are susceptible to outbreaks of wet rot. SRS (Sewage Restoration Services) will identify the cause of any outbreak and treat it before any remedial work can takes place.

Dry Rot

Dry rot is the term given to brown rot decay caused by certain fungi that deteriorate timber in buildings and other wooden construction seemingly without an apparent source of moisture. An outbreak of dry rot within a building can be perceived to be an extremely serious infestation that is hard to eradicate, requiring drastic remedies to correct. Eventually if left untreated the decay can cause instability and cause the structure to collapse.

Wet Rot

There are two main types of wet rot which are brown rot & white rot - both of these can cause severe destruction to wood and both affect the wood differently depending on type:-

Brown Rot usually cause cracking & shrinkage of the wood, cellar fungus is the most common type found in domestic properties although we do also see mine fungus. Cellar fungus usually looks like a dark brown-black, sheet like growth with delicate brown threads sprouting from the rotting wood, white sheets of mycelium may be observed with this species during the early stages of an attack. The structural integrity of the timber is seriously affected by the rot and will shrink and crack, become brittle and take on a darker colour, not dissimilar to a dry rot attach to which it is closely related

White Rot usually reduce the timber to a stringy, fibrous texture. The most common white, wet rot we find in the home is called Phellinus Contiguus and has no common name. The fungus where present usually looks likes a light brown, sheet like growth. Bunches of light brown threads may be seen sprouting from the wood and it is also known to attack masonry. The structural integrity of the timber is seriously affected by the rot feeding upon the cellulose and lignin in the wood and will break it down giving a coarse, fibrous appearance with a lightening in colour.

Rising Damp

Rising damp is one of the most common form of dampness we come across in buildings and occurs when water from the ground rises up through bricks and mortar of a building, this is often a result of an unseen leak or incorrect drying out in the aftermath of a flood. The height to which the water rises is dependant on the structure of the bricks and mortar and the rate of evaporation and as such brickwork containing a high proportion of fine pores allows the water to rise higher than a coarse highly pored material. Treatment of rising damp known as "damp-proofing" or "damp coursing" typically involves the installation of a chemical damp proof course and is usually carried out by using specialist injection equipment and injecting this directly into the brick work.