Wood Decay Fungus:
Does your home have a damp and/or musty crawl space?
If it is damp and musty, you may have a “silent destroyer” called, wood decay fungus feeding on your floor joists, beams and sub-floor. This fungus works silently and most homeowners never know it is there, until the damage is done. This fungus is dependent on the wood moisture level being higher than 15%. (Many crawl spaces have wood moisture contents of 30% or more.)
This fungus actually feeds on the wood fibers and structurally weakens the wood. The floor joists begin to sag or in some cases, break and collapse under the weight of the furniture and people in the room above.
Wood decay fungus is slow growing and silent! The homeowner will never know it is there unless an inspection is performed or until the damage is done.
The best and least expensive way to protect your home is to have a professional inspect your home and use a moisture meter.
A qualified inspector will visually check your sub-floor for the presence of wood decay fungus growth and use the moisture meter to determine the wood moisture content of the floor joists, beams and sub-floor.
There are several types of wood decay fungus with different characteristics. Some have a furry appearance growing on the surface of the wood, while some look like a white powder. They can range from white to a black shade to a brown color. They can start and cover a small area or be widespread throughout the crawl space over time, depending on how long the problem has existed.
If a wood decay fungus problem is left undetected it can do tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Damaged floor joists must be replaced. Jacks must be installed for support. In some cases the entire floor system must be removed and re-built.
If high moisture readings or any evidence of wood decay fungus are found, your pest control professional can make recommendations to correct the problem, before any expensive damage is done.
The most effective way to protect your home from Wood Decay Fungus is to lower the moisture in your crawl space.
This can be achieved in a variety of ways. The exposed ground in the crawl space needs to be covered with a plastic vapor barrier to prevent the ground moisture from condensing on the wooden framing members.
Additional foundation ventilation can be installed. Most homes have inadequate ventilation in their crawl spaces. They typically have about one half of the cross ventilation they need. New foundation vents can be installed by cutting into the foundation and placing the new vent in the opening.
In some cases additional vents cannot be installed. Powered fan vents can be installed to maximize the existing vents. The powered fan vents exhaust moist, stale air from the crawl space and create forced cross ventilation by pulling in air from other vents. This typically will bring down the moisture in most crawl spaces.
In extreme cases, a dehumidifier may be needed. All of the foundation vents are sealed and a dehumidifier is installed to re-circulate the crawl space air and remove all of the moisture, which is piped outside. Once the majority of the moisture is removed the unit does not operate unless the moisture level rises above the pre-set amount.
In some crawl spaces standing water is a problem. This can result from rain run-off from an improperly sloped yard, an improperly functioning gutter/ downspout system or leaching through an improperly water-proofed foundation wall. To remove the water and keep it out, a sump pump may be installed in the lowest level of the space. When the water collects in the sump basin the pump starts and removes it by pumping it outside.
All of these measures are very effective at stopping moisture and eliminating the harmful effects of wood decay fungus. However, eliminating the moisture does not kill the fungus, it only goes dormant. To kill the existing fungus an application of a fungicide must be applied to the wood. This will kill the existing fungus and its spores.
An additional safe guard would be to air seal the crawl space to separate it from the living space above. Air sealing consists of sealing around all pipes, wires and other openings in the crawl space that lead into the living space. Poor quality crawl space air can be pulled into the living space by your HVAC unit. This air can be dusty, moldy and filled with fungus spores. By sealing all of these openings with expanding foam, this bad air is contained in the crawl space and cannot enter the living space.
We here at Volunteer-Rid-A-Pest are proud to be a leading pest and fungus expert for Tennessee residents living in the greater Chattanooga and Cleveland area! We have decades of experience in the pest and fungus control industry, and we can perform a wide range of safe, targeted solutions that are designed to solve the problems you may encounter completely and effectively!
P.S. We always recommend the lowest cost – most effective solution to solve your problem!
So if you are dealing with a damp crawl space, simply have a question, or would like to schedule your FREE analysis (using a moisture meter) give us a call today at 423-698-7205 OR 423-472-7736!
