Erratication dry rot?

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Jungle

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I put antifreeze on the 12 posts in the ceiling to kill the dry rot about 4 days ago. Seems to have work about 95%, some of the posts look stained white now. I wonder will the antifreeze continue to work on the rest of the 5%? Should i just wait and see?

I would like to cut the posts out but it would be a big job with the dry wall is attached on the other side and the electric wire run through the posts. But i guess it would be possible.

Other option is to drill a bunch of 1/2" holes and try more anti freeze? Most of the smell is at the bottom of the posts. The wood seems fairly solid, with only 1/8" soft wood outside on the worst posts. Maybe 6 posts seems worse.
 
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Hi Neal, one guy called it chemotherapy for wood. It's bit strange because the antifreeze (EG) has water in it, so when you first apply it it seems to make it worse. From what i can tell over time, like chemo, it kills the fungus.
The problem i am discovering is that the rot is sometime deep in the posts, in little pockets surrounded by healthy wood, i don't if the antifeeze would ever get to it. So have to drill around, but that is taking too much time, i'm just going to the cut a couple of the worse looking posts right out and be done with it today. I have to be careful now that the EG is all over the wood.

Luckily i can get at these all posts! And cut them out if need be. I am very aware now what a disaster it could be to buy a house with extensive dry rot or you don't know where it is. With the hot weather this has triggered allergies problem for me for the last 4 weeks. Living in a rotting house can make someone miserable.

apparently boric acid or borax also works well.
 
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You have to be concerned about how much good post is left and how much is needed to carry the load. I would think you want to remove all the rot if you can and treat what is left and then add new material to strengthen the post but at some point the post must go if there is to much damage.
 
Ya the anti-freeze works but only on surface problems, maybe after months and months it will penetrate the wood, but who has that time.

I had to just cut everything out. This type of fungus in dry rot is very strong and lodges it self in seemingly healthy, normal wood. What i understand is it gets into the root. I keeping cutting more and more out, even when i remove some of it, i realize it is still lingering in surrounding wood. Good thing not much left to replace! An annoying job, sticking you head right into the mold. At least my allergies are much better now. I sure am paying for this cheap house.
I noticed there is tree in the backyard with systemic rot. I wonder if the spores came from there. It looks like the previous owner took down a dead tree that was even close to the house, i wonder if that was the source? I wonder if i should get rid of the tree in the yard too? if it is causing problems, it has the orange mold on the outside bark with a half the branches dead.
 
Here is a quote from a very interesting article about using anti-freeze or boric acid ... News to me too!

"I had two 2" thick slabs of a 14" diameter hickory tree that had just been cut. I treated one with antifreeze and left one untreated. I was looking at wood stabilization, not rot prevention. After about six months stored inside my shop the untreated control was not only cracked apart, but it was sporting a great fungal growth, while the treated slab was clean."

http://www.angelfire.com/nc3/davecarnell/rot.html
 

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