Subject: leak fixed...still rotting?
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000

Dear Dr. Rot,

When roof joists or wall studs suffer some degree of rotting due to roof leaks, and the source of the water is stopped...will the wood continue to rot even after it dries out?

The damage is not so much as to need to replace the wood....just don't want to worry about what still may be happening that I cannot see.

thanks for your help,

Fred T.

Fred,

Rot fungi require a wood moisture level in the 20-30% range to propagate and thrive. Usually when the leaking is stopped, the moisture levels drop below these levels.

However, the reproductive spores of the fungi are still in the wood, and if the moisture levels rise again -- from whatever cause -- the rot will resume. For this reason we encourage people to treat the wood (if it's accessible) with our CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer). This pretty much ends the fungi problem and makes the wood incapable of absorbing enough moisture to reach dangerous levels.

Doc