Dry Rot.

Dry rot if left untreated can cause your wood to crumble away - early detection of the rot is key to saving the timber. Once the fungus is established, it will develop hyphae (strands) that can travel across stone and brick to find more timber to colonise.

This fungal colonisation causes what is known as “brown rot decay” - and the fungus that most commonly causes dry rot in the UK is known as Serpula lacrymans. This decay cracks the wood in a fine, square pattern, and also makes it crumbly and a darker or browner colour.

Eventually, the wood will crumble into dust, which obviously could well cause parts of your house to collapse.

Damp Proofing.

Rising Damp.
Rising damp is moisture present in your walls as a result of water in the ground underneath or next to your walls rising up through the fabric of the wall, whether it is brick, block or stone. The water travels upwards through the wall as a result of capillary action through the tiny holes in the brick or stone. This ‘rising damp’ usually reaches a maximum height of 1.2m, but the effects of the damp, such as salt deposits, black spots of mould on the damp areas of your wall, skirting boards or flooring. Rising damp can happen as a result of debris present in your cavity wall bridging the Damp Proof Course.

Penetrating Damp.
Penetrating damp (or lateral damp) is the horizontal ingress of moisture through the building walls. Penetrating damp normally presents on external walls and forms as isolated patches of dampness, which increase in size after periods of heavy rain. Penetrating damp can affect roofs, ceilings and walls and it can, unlike rising damp, happen at any level.

Wet Rot.

The two types of wet rot, brown and white are both destructive to timber. Generally brown rots cause cuboidal cracking & shrinkage of the timber whilst white rots tend to reduce the timber to a stringy, fibrous texture.

Brown Wet Rot.
The most common wet rot we find in the home is Coniophora Puteana this brown variety commonly known as Cellar Fungus.

The brown, often fan like threads associated with cellar fungus feeds on the cellulose of the timber, it spreads out and eventually produces a fruiting body. Spores released from the fruiting body will lodge in the pores of the timber repeating the destructive cycle.

The wood will shrink and crack, become brittle and take on a darker colour. This condition seriously undermines the structural integrity of the timber.

White Wet Rot.
The most common white, wet rot we find in the home is Phellinus. Bunches of light brown threads may be observed sprouting from the rotting wood. The mycelium may also attack external masonry. The wood breaks down exhibiting a coarse, fibrous appearance with a lightening in colour. This condition undermines the structural integrity of the timber.

Hampton Preservation Solution.

Dry rot will only affect timber that is damp for this reason, removing the source of moisture should form the core of any dry rot eradication strategy. All rotting timber will require to be replaced.

Hampton Preservation's Solution.

Treatment typically involves the installation of a chemical  DPC, which is injected into holes in the masonry to repel water. Alternatively a new damp membrane can be fitted to act as a physical barrier to moisture. Plaster usually needs to be replaced with new salt-retardant plaster and a new skirting board fitted.

Hampton Preservation's Solution.

The first step is eliminating the source of infection and damp.

The second step is removing and replacing affected timbers. If only a small area has been affected the rotten wood should be removed back to sound timber and the surrounding area treated with preservative.

Woodworm.

Anobium Punctatum, generally known as the common furniture beetle or ‘woodworm’, has been perceived to be the main cause of damage to timber in the UK over the last 100 years.

The beetles emerge from infected timber in the spring, generally between May and August in the northern hemisphere. The female beetle seeks out suitable timber to lay her eggs.

During the last 50 years, insecticidal treatments have been widely used to ‘treat and preserve’ timbers in buildings thought to be at risk from this organism. The perceived risk of woodworm infection and decay has become so integral to the culture of property management and building repair in the UK that most buildings which are more than 50 years old have been treated at least once, and many have been treated repeatedly on each change of ownership.

Hampton Preservation's Solution.

To treat woodworm, an effective and efficient water based treatment is used that only kills the wood boring insects but doesn't give off unpleasant fumes or smells and it quickly soaks into the timber. The technician sprays insecticide into the wood and after the woodworm treatment is absorbed into the wood for a period of about an hour, the living woodworm and eggs near the surface are killed off.

Condensation.

Condensation in buildings is a major damp problem that affects many domestic properties. Quite simply condensation is water that is deposited on surfaces from warm, moist air that comes into contact with cold surfaces. 

Condensation is generally perceived to be a winter problem. Very often the first indication of condensation is black spot mould growth in the most affected areas. It can also be seen as misting of windows leading to water droplets and even puddles of water on windowsills. Other areas typically affected are cold external walls or pipe work, and where there is poor air circulation, behind items of furniture, in built-in cupboards or in corners of rooms.

Simple steps to control condensation can be achieved by ensuring good ventilation and insulation. However, more often than not other additional control steps are required.

Hampton Preservation's Solution.

It is essential to tackle the sources of moisture in the air as this ensures that black mould cannot grow in the first place. There are various mould control packs for treating black spot mould, such as anti-fungi paints, Vapour Vents, humidity extract fans and ventilation units.

Hampton Preservation's

Wet & Forget exterior Solution.

Wet & Forget is the safest, most effective way of removing moss, mould & gunge from ANY exterior surface. When applied, it immediately attacks that unsightly moss, mould, gunge & grime. Then Mother Nature takes over.

The weathering process gently takes the decomposing material away bit by bit without scouring the surface it
has infested.

Non caustic. Non acidic.
No bleach. No pressure washing.
No elbow grease.

Eliminates Harsh Methods.
Wet & Forget helps prevent the damage caused by the harsh scouring of scrubbing and waterblasting.

Residual Effect.
Some of the ingredient remains active if the surface is porous to prevent premature recontamination.

Unlimited Shelf Life.
Unlike bleach based cleaners Wet & Forget has an unlimited shelf life.