Posts Tagged ‘dry rot’

Rot in log homes – What can I do to prevent log rot in my home?

While log rot is a common problem in log homes, it does not have to be. Unfortunately, many log home owners are unaware of the log rot in their structure until the damage is already done.

rotten logs are not aways obvious

At first glance, these look like solid logs.

The reality is that by the time you can see the decay in the wood – it is many times too late to do anything but replace a given log. For this reason, it is important to spend a little time getting to know your log home or cabin.

By this I mean looking for places on the home that could potentially be getting wet. It is really very simple. If an area (for example: log end, sill log, or perlin end) is getting significantly wet during a rainstorm… it is on its way to rotting.

rot is not always obvious

Upon closer inspection, there is rot. Click on photo to see how deep the knife sinks.

I want people to understand that rot is like a tide moving in slowly not an earthquake. Rot happens over a period of at least a few years and most times a decade or more.

So… grab an umbrella next time the clouds well up and take a walk around your log home looking for areas of concern. Make note of them so you know which ones to pay attention to when you do your routine checks. Click here for more information on how to tell if a log is rotten.

Related links:

Lower logs getting wet near a deck?
Maybe I need gutters?
Log extending out to long?

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Posted in Log Home Maintenance, Log Homes and Rot, Questions and Answers |
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Log home repair – Rotting log ends are a real problem.

rotten log end

A crown extending out too far is susceptible to rotting.

Many times in the course of doing our log home repairs around Minnesota and Wisconsin, we run into logs ends (a.k.a. crowns) that are left too long. By this I mean they are so long that they stick out into the elements more than is necessary. Spring is a good time to think about keeping these logs dry and thus keeping them from rotting.

new crowns

Crowns are replaced and kept within the drip line of the roof.

Here is a link to a featured project we recently finished that shows what happens when logs are left too long:

http://www.restorelogs.com/log-home-replacing-crowns-rhinelander-wisconsin.htm

If you have logs that extend outside the drip line of the roof (getting rain on them when the wind is not blowing) they need to be trimmed off to get them within the drip edge.  This simple step – along with proper treatment – can save thousands of dollars in log home repair down the road.

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Posted in Log Home Maintenance, Log Home Repair |
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Log Home Maintenance in Wisconsin and Minnesota — Mold on logs? What to do…

Question: I have mold on some of my logs where there used to be a stack of wood up against the house. Last year, I removed the stacked wood and tried bleaching the mold off of the logs and then stained them. I noticed this spring that the mold returned.

I want to know what type of product you recommend that I use to eliminate the mold. I was thinking about Oxi-Clean and Bora-Care but I wasn’t sure if there is a better solution. Please advise

Answer: Mold is the beginnings of decay or rot. When blackening or discoloration forms in this way, it is important to take action right away.

mold growing on logs

This is an extreme example of what can happen when logs have been exposed too long to moisture.

There are certainly a number of specific causes for mold growing on wood.  The one thing they all have in common is MOISTURE! If the log has mold — it is too wet or was too wet. What to do?

Sanding down the area in question is the first step.  When sanding, pay attention to whether or not the wood seems wet or dry. If it is wet and soft, you probably have a problem with rot. Click here for how to replace rotten logs.

After sanding, apply Bora-Care (a highly concentrated form of borates) at least three times in the space of a day or so.  Make sure the area dries out completely, keeping rain off it for at least a week. (more…)

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Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Maintenance, Log Homes and Rot |
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Log home dry rot and what can be done to resolve it

dry rotWe frequently get calls from log home owners saying, “My home has some dry rot.” When you look at the logs affected with rot, they DO look dry.

Whether the rot is dry or wet, rot equals decay and that is a serious problem in log buildings. Rot can lead to the need for replacing part or the entire log. There are several factors that can contribute to a log getting rot, but they all have to do with moisture getting into the wood. When wood fibers have a constant moisture level between 14-20%, wood will start to rot.

For more information on how we replace rotten logs, click here.

RELATED LINKS AND TIPS ON PREVENTING LOG HOME DRY ROT

Why do logs rot?
What to look for when buying a log home
Proper way to flash a deck to a log wall

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Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Repair, Log Homes and Rot |
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Log home dry rot is a bit of a misnomer

A log with dry rot.Log home dry rot is not uncommon in log buildings. One of the most common complaints from log homeowners is that their logs have “dry rot”. Whether the rot is dry or wet, rot equals decay and that is a serious problem in log buildings.

Rot can lead to the need for replacing part or all of the log. There are several factors that can contribute to a log getting rot, but they all have to do with moisture getting into the wood. When wood fibers have a constant moisture level between 14-20%, wood will start to rot.

Simply put - rot is caused by moisture, even though it may appear to be dry. There are several factors that contribute to log home dry rot. Learn more about why logs rot.

Related links:

Rot at the bottom of vertical logs
Rot at the bottom of posts
Repairing rot on lodge pole pine cabin

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Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Repair, Log Homes and Rot |
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Log home restoration

Log home restoration is all we do this time of year.   We are trying to take advantage of the warm days of summer to get all of our log home restoration projects done before the snow flies.

log home restoration

We restored this log cabin last week near Rhinelander, Wisconsin

There is still time to get your log home restoration done this year. Call us at 877-378-4403. We are happy to talk to you about your specific log home and what might be done to solve the problems with your logs.

We get to all parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota in the summer months so call us and see where we are this week.  Log home restoration is all we do.

Check out one of our most recent projects that we completed in St. Croix Falls, Minnesota. Click here.

Related links:

Log home restoration
Blasting to remove finish
Chinking and caulking
Contact us

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Posted in Log Home Repair, Log Home Restoration |
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Log home dry rot can be avoided if…

Log home dry rot, and the associated repairs, can be avoided if you pay attention to these details.  There are design features that can protect a log home from exposure to the elements such as large overhangs and plenty of “free board” between the ground and the first course of logs. There are also many things a log home owner can do to protect their logs and avoid problems with dry rot.

chairs against the logsOne of the main causes for dry rot is water splashing back onto the logs. In the photo here, the chairs are stacked so that water drips off the roof onto the chairs and then back onto the logs. A good rule of thumb is not to have objects under the drip edge of a roof.

gas tanks near the logsHere is another example of dry rot caused by splash back. In this situation, the gas tanks acted as a springboard for the water to land on the logs and over time, the exposure to moisture got the better of these logs.

The term “dry rot” is somewhat of a misnomer because the rot is actually caused by moisture. Here is a link to our website on “Why do Logs Rot”. Click here to see how we fixed the logs on this home near Madison, WI.

Another common problem with log homes that can lead to dry rot is when there isn’t sufficient “free board” to keep water from splashing off the ground and on to the lower logs.

splash back onto the lower logsThis photo shows the rot that can occur. Sometime this problem can be resolved by putting up gutters along the roof edge to redirect the water away from the log walls. For more information on how we replace rotten logs, click here.

In summary, keep objects away from your log walls. Don’t do these things and you hopefully won’t be faced with log home dry rot.

grill up against the logswood pile against the logs

Related links:

Log rot
Cracks and checks in logs
Give your log home a checkup

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Posted in Log Home Maintenance, Log Home Repair, Log Homes and Rot |
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Log Home Restoration: Do it right the first time and you won’t regret it.

replacing half logsLog home restoration means many things but one thing it can often mean is replacing rotten logs. Does that mean replacing the entire log? No. Generally, we replace a log with a “re-facing” or half log if there is at least 50% solid wood left in the section of the log needing repair. Our replacement logs are dried Cedar because this type of wood has natural rot-resistant properties.

half logs replacedReplacing half of the log is a cost savings over replacing an entire log in terms of materials. If the log is more than 50% rotted, we recommend replacing the whole log. When replacing a half log, new replacement logs are attached to the existing building with galvanized screws.

half logs replaced and stainedAny spaces between the new and the old logs are filled with expanding foam and/or backer rod and chinked or caulked. The heads of the screws are sunk to a depth of an inch below the log surface and the hole is filled with caulk matching the color of the log.

Check back again as we will continue to post information related to log home restoration.

Here are some relevant links you may find useful:

Our replacement logs are dried Cedar
Replacing whole logs
Replacing vertical logs
Why do logs rot?

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Posted in Log Home Repair, Log Home Restoration, Log Homes and Rot |
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Log homes and wood boring insects

Here is a related question from our previous posting.

Question: I need to get wood-boring beetles and carpenter bees stopped. No serious structural damage yet but the insect problem needs to be addressed. I am the original owner of the home. It was built in 1985 out of southern yellow pine. It was a kit supplied by Real Log Homes out of North Carolina. It was last cob-blasted, borated and sealed in 2004. Borate applied at that time did not stop insects. Need help to get insect damage stopped and house resealed.

Notice the honey combing that the ants do as they "excavate the rot". Until you get rid of the rot, you can't control the population of boring insects.

Answer: What we know about carpenter bees and powder post beetles is that they feed on decaying wood. Therefore, they often are a sign that the logs are retaining moisture and that there is some rot. Borate treatment is not a guarantee against these insects. It isn’t a pesticide but more of a treatment for the logs to raise the PH level of the wood to the point where the rot organism is impeded, and subsequently the bugs are less able to attack it. Click here for more information about insects in log homes. (more…)

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Posted in Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Questions and Answers |
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Log home repair and WATER – what’s the connection?

In the simplest of terms – logs rot because of WATER! It seems like a simple concept but the solution to keep logs from getting too much moisture in them is anything but simple.

We spend a good deal of our time helping customers remedy problems they are having with rot that is directly caused by the fact that some of their logs have been allowed to stay too wet over time.

So what’s the big deal with too much moisture in the logs? In a word – ROT! The rot organism needs four ingredients to begin degrading wood.

It needs:

  1. Moisture content between 20% and 30% in the wood’s fiber. While this percentage varies from species to species, most wood will start to deteriorate at around 20% moisture.
  2. Temperatures between 60º and 90º. This is why most of the active rotting occurs during our hot, humid summers.
  3. Oxygen – rot needs it to get going. This is why wood that is underwater does not rot. There is not enough ‘free oxygen’ for the process to take place.
  4. A food source. This is what the rot organism eats – in this case the wood in your house.

Rot needs all these things to get established. If we can eliminate one of these ‘ingredients’ we can stop the rot process, which is easier said than done.

It is impossible to change the temperatures away from being 60-90° in the summer. As living organisms ourselves, we need oxygen too, just like rot. Rot eating wood is one of the laws of nature, so the only factor that we can control is the moisture content, i.e. WATER! (more…)

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Posted in Log Homes and Rot |
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