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The RVer's Open Forum / TECHNICAL RV HELP / Dry Rot

Dan User ID: 0972444	Jul 11th 12:14 PM I think the side of my coach (used late '80s) has some dry rot at the bottom, lower section of the side. Maybe a dumb question (newbie and all) but how can I tell? Second, and more important, how can I fix? Do I need to remove/ open up the exterior fiberglass lamination? I don't want to open a can of worms but I am curious about the size of the job. Thanks for any assistance. Dan.
Mike Moderator Moderator User ID: 1181464	Jul 11th 12:57 PM DRY ROT Every year a considerable sum of money is spent on repairing the structural damage caused by the fungal infestation commonly known and referred to as dry rot. Most of the damage is caused by a few species, but the dry rot fungus, Merulius Lacryman, is the most prevalent. Dry rot fungus requires a constant condition of temperature and humidity. It thrives best in humid, unventilated places where the air is still and the wood is damp but not saturated. Dry rot spores will germinate on the surface of wood that has a moisture content slightly above 20% but is not really wet. The majority of fungi grow most rapidly at about 80-90 degrees F. Poor or improper ventilation in areas which can retain built-up heat often provide this ideal environment. As with any fungus, the spores are ever present in the dormant stage, awaiting proper conditions to flourish. When germination occurs, a fine filament grows out from the spores. It subsequently gives rise to other similar filaments, which develop, into the vegetative portion of the fungus. At the same time, some of the filaments penetrate below the surface, first softening and then destroying the wood. The appearance of the wood decayed by dry rot fungus depends on the stage of attack and the conditions under which the fungus has been growing. In a damp basement or crawl space, the fungus will produce masses of material resembling white fluffy cotton spread over the surface of the wood. In less humid atmospheres, the fungus forms a felted skin that may be pearly gray in color, with tinges of lilac or yellow. Wood diseased by dry rot fungus has a scorched appearance, and in the final states, may readily break up into little square fragments or a dry powder. The parts of a house in which dry rot is most likely to be found are basements, crawl spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, and porches. Roof timbers may be attacked if there is persistent leakage. To eradicate dry rot, the badly decayed wood should be removed and destroyed. Sound timber in the vicinity of the attack and timber used for replacements should always be treated with an efficient preservative. Finally and most important, the source of dampness responsible for the original attack should be eliminated. (http://www.eis-inc.net/Dry%20Rot.html) If you 'gently' push on wood which has been attacked by dry rot it will feel spongy when compared to the same surface which will feel firm when it's still healthy. Removing and repairing dry rot can be a large or small job. One product that seems to work well for small areas is GitRot, available in most hardware stores and home improvement centers. For more information see http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/rotrepair.htm . Mike
Dick Olsen User ID: 9272753	Apr 1st 11:14 AM There are several pictures of the dry rot repair we did on our 5th wheel trailer this winter on my website at http://home.attbi.com/~hotroddder/Frameset-2.htm Click on the trailer repair button. It may be slow for a modem. Best viewed with a high speed connection. (Mod)
Jay User ID: 2351494	Jun 30th 2:18 PM Dick, your web site pictures sent a wave of fear to my heart as I have a 5th wheel with Aluminum siding similuar to yours. Was there any indication that it was leaking before the damage? How do you know it is not leaking again and causing the same damage? Any advice to prevent this from happening? Jay
Dick Olsen User ID: 8848403	Jul 1st 6:59 PM Be afraid... Be very, very afraid....... This was a monumental challange for me and luckily, I had all the resources to do it. When we bought it, it was advertices as "Like New" and nothing was obvious. Once I stepped on the soft floor, I knew inside me that I was ****ed. The seller went to his lawyer the next day and he told me to blow........ I,m sure that it is not leaking again because: 1. Sealed the heck out of it 2. Identified leak sources and fixed 3. Hope and pray daily that it will not leak. If yo do this. Go slow, think about each new step. Rationalize how they put together the trailer, so you can take it apart smartly. Think about solutions, not necessarily how it was before. Get the right tool, beg, borrow, or buy. Enjoy the ride. I learned alot......... I did use some of the Dr Rot in places I did not want to get into....... I don't know if the Pictures do justice to what it takes to tear a tariler apart and rebuild it. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me.. hotroddder@attbi.com
Kathleen S. User ID: 9760743	Oct 15th 6:45 AM On July 11th Mike wrote the following: To eradicate dry rot, the badly decayed wood should be removed and destroyed. Sound timber in the vicinity of the attack and timber used for replacements should always be treated with an efficient preservative. Finally and most important, the source of dampness responsible for the original attack should be eliminated. Well we scraped and treated the affected area with a product by Minwax. My problem is that I cannot get to the area underneath the water heater where I'm sure there is dry rot as well (my husband wants to wait until the spring) and I need to know if dry rot spreads to other areas even when the source of the leak has been carefully sealed. Does the sound timber in the vicinity of the attack become vulnerable to the "disease"?
Dick Olsen User ID: 1557854	Oct 15th 10:58 PM Yes it will spread. In my triler it had run about 12 feet from the water heater where it was leaking. I'm sure most of that was due to the water seeping (I could see stains on the 2x3 floor joists) but I could see where it spread several feet on top of the floor joists just from the trapped moisture. If you have not yet looked, check out my web site in the above post. The rot started at the water heater, in additon the rear corner of the roof leaked, so I had to replace half of the floor in width from the front to the rear. Mine was too rotted to treat with epoxy sealers. I pulled most of the flooring and joists out by hand, they were so rotted........ Best of luck...... Dick Olsen
Clubmaxx User ID: 9092003	Jan 5th 1:23 PM Dick, We are in the process of completely rebuilding our '84 36' MH. Believe me, I can relate! We totally stripped it to the frame. It was no more that a frame on wheels. We too had some rot in the floor back in the bedroom back corner. We have learned a ton about water leaks in these things. You could see on the outside where attempts to stop waterleaks around the area had been made. The problem is that where you see the damage has nothing to do with where the real leak is. Ours turned out to be from the side door! After we skinned the coach you could follow the rust trails through the "C" channel framework. It just stopped when it got all the way back there. We have taken a lot of photos each step of the way. We had a ton of rust that we did not even have a clue of before. All the repairs are sone now and reassembly starts this week. Let me know if anyone wants to see what a coach looks like in the nude I'll e-mail you some. It's scarey!
tk User ID: 9892733	Jan 6th 10:40 AM IMO, a good way to "feel" for dryrot is with a icepick - it goes easily into rotton wood, and doesn't stick much in good wood. May have to drill small hole through interior panel first. There's a DejaVue element to this response, seems I made it before? Hope it helps! Ted Keener, Bend, Oregon
Prowler_Bob User ID: 8360413	Jan 9th 9:14 PM Check out the Rot Doctor (!) at http://www.rotdoctor.com/ Good Luck!
wilsonrl User ID: 9043333	Oct 13th 7:02 AM We found the leak through the seldom to never used gas furnace exaust/intake port. Removed the furnace, use the genset and an electric heater now, replaced large portion of rotted out floor...
Barthbill User ID: 0067194	Dec 28th 11:32 AM I now use a product called Tim Bor. It kills dry rot and termites, and prevents a reoccurance. There are some formulas out there that are a mixture of anti-freeze and borax. They have the drawback of never really drying, so the Minwax wood hardener and any glues will not do their job. The Tim Bor is a powder you mix with water, which, of course, will dry.
Marty User ID: 1376304	Dec 28th 2:01 PM Barthbill: Is this "Tim Bor" "stuff" available through hardwares like Home Depot or Lowels? If not, where at can it be found? Marty in TN
Mike Administrator	Dec 28th 3:43 PM TimborŪ Industrial Wood Preservative is a US Borax, Inc. product. Use instructions may be found at http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/timbor.htm Lots of other information, as well as on-line sources, may be found at http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=fp-pull-web-t&p=Timbor+Industrial Mike