Preventing Wood Rot & Costly Roof Damage
Wood rot frequently comes as an unpleasant surprise. It might be discovered by a roofer while repairing or replacing your shingles, or perhaps even while you’re preparing to paint your exterior window sill and you notice the wood soft. Even worse, you may notice wood rot in your basement or crawlspace on a structural beam or joust!
If ignored and left untreated, wood rot can eventually spread to other areas of your home and weaken its structure. Wood rot can also diminish the resale value of your home, so if you are planning on selling in the near future it is imperative to take action as soon as possible! At JP Carroll Roofing, our team specializes in repairing and preventing wood rot. We offer expert wood rot roof repair services throughout Connecticut and the surrounding areas.
Preventing Dry Rot Damage
Most of the strategies for fighting dry rot throughout the house begin with your roof. If your roof is not sound and your gutters are misaligned or clogged, large volumes of water can enter your home and can begin to saturate the earth around your home’s foundation. This can also set the stage for water to begin to seep into your home! So, the first rule of home care is to make sure your roof is leak-free and in good repair. As a leading roofing contractor in Greater Hartford, we offer comprehensive roofing services, including a variety of roof repairs to help you maintain your roof’s condition.
JP Carroll Roofing also understands that the roof of your home is so much more than a barrier to keep out the elements. Roofs are also where your home exhales, so proper ventilation is of utmost importance to prevent wood rot from occurring. A roof that is properly vented will also allow the water vapor that occurs inside your home a place to escape. Ventilation plays an important role in keeping the moisture content in building materials at safe levels.
Vent openings are typically located along the roof’s ridge and soffits at the eaves. These roof vents are usually continuous in order to maintain adequate airflow. Warm, often humid, air naturally rises up through the ridge vents and replacement air is drawn in through soffit vents to replace it.
Called convection, or the “stack effect,” replacement air may also be drawn from wall cavities that surround the lower levels of your home – and even from your basement. The stack effect normally helps maintain low moisture levels throughout your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Causes Wood Rot?
Wood rot is caused by fungal spores that occur naturally and are all around us. These spores are fortunately not always active, and wood rot damage is not something that will happen over night. The most common type of wood rot is called “dry rot.” Dry rot occurs when wood is attacked by fungi that destroy the parts of the wood that make it firm, leading to the wood feeling soft.
In order to be able to grow and begin to digest wood, these fungal spores require a high volume of water and high humidity levels. If you live in an area with excessive rain or humidity levels, the stage is set for wood rot to begin.
Where to Inspect for Wood Rot?
Armed with an awl or a small screwdriver, inspect locations where rot often gains a foothold. Use the tool to poke into areas that are suspects (blistered or soft) to see how extensive the rot is.
Wood rot is likely to occur in:
- Exposed framing in a basement or crawlspace
- Exterior windowsills and door thresholds
- Exterior window and door casings
- Underneath the roof decking
- Roof framing
- Fascia (trim to which gutters are often attached) and rack boards (trim on the gable end of a roof)
