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Does it spread?

andyfew322 | Posted in Construction Techniques on June 23, 2008 06:29am

So I’m currently doing a job of ripping out rotted wood from a soffit. The cause of the rot is water so plenty of deteriorating wood. only one of the joists are slightly damaged but only for about 6″. my qusestion is… do I have to rip this out back to clean wood so, as my dad claims, the rot doesn’t spread or is it ok to leave it.

 

Silence is golden, but ducktape is silver

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  1. User avater
    intrepidcat | Jun 23, 2008 06:39am | #1

    like a cancer

     

     

     

    "Never pick a fight with an old man. If he can't beat you he will just kill you." Steinbeck 

  2. User avater
    IMERC | Jun 23, 2008 06:40am | #2

    if you leave the rot it will spread...

     

    Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

    WOW!!! What a Ride!
    Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

    1. andyfew322 | Jun 23, 2008 06:46am | #3

      well that was easy, thanks all 

      Yes, my best friend is a hammer.

    2. PASSIN | Jun 23, 2008 07:23am | #4

      I would remove all the rot, but i have never seen rot spread without a source of water.

       

      1. Danno | Jun 23, 2008 02:28pm | #6

        I agree--the spores for the rot exist everywhere, but they need food in order to grow into new organisms and for that they need water.

      2. segundo | Jun 24, 2008 02:50am | #12

        I agree, and have heard the same thing many times, remove the water and the dry rot stays where it is, IT DOES NOT SPREAD WITHOUT WATER!

      3. MSA1 | Jun 24, 2008 03:38am | #14

        Thats what I thought.

  3. User avater
    hammer1 | Jun 23, 2008 02:28pm | #5

    Something isn't right if your soffits are getting water in them, ice dams, improperly installed drip edge, roof leak. That issue should be addressed. Rot won't spread on it's own without water but it will come back if the leakage isn't fixed. You can scab a piece of new to a rotted end as long as it isn't too much or too many.

    Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

  4. Piffin | Jun 23, 2008 03:00pm | #7

    I normally take out the rotted, but there are alternatives. First, there is Timbor rods which are borates that stop rot from moving.
    Second, once the source of water is dealt with, the rot stops growing. the micro-organisms need moisture, warmth and food to grow. Remove water from the equation and they are all dormant.

    If you don't deal with the moisture problem, new wood will still rot. The spores are still there.

    So - how did it get wet and what are the plans to stop that?

     

     

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    1. andyfew322 | Jun 24, 2008 12:27am | #8

      I called (ok, my dad did) out a company who does rubber roofing, and we will be getting the whole roof re-done which will hopefully stop the multiple leaks. 

      Yes, my best friend is a hammer.

  5. User avater
    rjw | Jun 24, 2008 02:00am | #9

    Take the water away and the rot will stop.


    Remember Mary Dyer, a Christian Martyr (Thank you, Puritans)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Dyer


    May your whole life become a response to the truth that you've always been loved, you are loved and you always will be loved" Rob Bell, Nooma, "Bullhorn"

  6. DanH | Jun 24, 2008 02:04am | #10

    In general, if you take away the water the rot will stop. However, one problem is that rotten wood is like a sponge and absorbs moisture from the air. So best to remove the rot or chemically stabilize it somehow.

    It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way. --Rollo May
  7. danski0224 | Jun 24, 2008 02:48am | #11

    Don't think it will spread, but the big question is "Will it blend?"....

    http://www.youtube.com/user/Blendtec

    :)

    1. User avater
      Ted W. | Jun 24, 2008 03:00am | #13

      Man, there's plenty of hijacking threads around here but at least they have some correlation. So that has what to do with rotting wood?

      Oh, I get it. Put the rotting wood in the blender. Haa haaa... funny.--------------------------------------------------------

      Cheap Tools at MyToolbox.netSee some of my work at TedsCarpentry.com

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