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How To Identify and Prevent Dry Rot by Roofing Repair Experts

When the wood on your roof is exposed to water, it can promote the growth of a certain kind of fungi knowns as dry rot that eats down the hemicellulose and cellulose present in the wood. These two are responsible for the strength of the wood. If they weaken or break, it can lead to collapse and can severely damage your home structure.

It may sound scary but all hope is not lost. We sat down with SR1 Roofing, Fort Worth to discuss how to identify and prevent dry rot and this is what they had to say.

How to Look for Dry Rot

The fungi that eat away the two substances of the wood has around five million spores per minute in the air. These spores can easily germinate the wood when it is exposed to moisture and with water content that has reached about 20%.

This means that you need to first find the wood that is exposed to moisture by looking into your roof and its rafters. Then look around gutter and plumbing systems and any other areas where you believe water can easily accumulate.

Now see for signs of dry rot. You can easily tell if the wood has become discolored, shrunken or has started to split. When you see this, tap it with a pointed tool and see if it disintegrates or penetrates easily. If it does, then dry rot is present.

SR1 Roofing also suggests looking for the fungus. It usually looks like wool, cotton, or grayish mushrooms.

How to Fix Roof Dry Rot

Professionals usually apply epoxy to will away any cavities found in the wood left by the dry rot which can later be sanded or shaped to finish and maintain the consistency and design of the wood.

Other methods include using substances such as antifreeze to kill away the fungus or by saturating the non-infested parts of the wood using copper. This effectively prevents the fungus from spreading further.

Keeping away dry rot is as simple as sealing and painting the wood and making sure that excess water and moisture is not present in any given area.

However, if significant damage has already be done, it is better to seek professional help instead. SR1 Roofing in Fortworth has been providing commercial and residential roofing repair services for over two decades. They have the right experience to deal with any kind of roofing system problem you may be facing regardless of the weather.

Contact the roofing company today and get a free inspection and estimate for your roofing repair or any other problem. Do not let dry rot overstay its welcome because it can significantly damage your home structure and could risk collapsing, endangering you and your family.