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Wood decay in crawl spaces are second only to termites in causing significant damage to your home. Decay fungi extends its root systems, called Mycelia, into the wood removing nutrients and weakening the structural integrity. The only effective method of decay abatement is addressing the source of moisture in the wood members. Fungus can only grow if there is enough moisture.

It is important to have a thorough holistic inspection done to determine the moisture source and outline steps to correct the problem before major repair work is done. These potential sources may include:

• Improper, think, or missing vapor barrier on soil (100 square ft crawl can release almost 20 gallons of water a day)
• Inadequate ventilation due to landscaping, floor plan, or just cheap foundation vents. If not ventilated, excess moisture will absorb into the wood
• Improper grading or lack of gutters

At Holistic Pest Solutions, we recommend the following three step moisture program as the most effective means of minimizing wood decay fungus.

Step 1: Add a Vapor Barrier. This polyethylene barrier will cover 70-80 percent to prevent moisture from evaporating out of the soil.

Step 2: Change to Automatic Vents allowing air to flow into crawl space when temperature is above 40 degrees. With automatic vents, you no longer have to remember to open and close them to circulate air. Power vents can be installed where cross-ventilation cannot be created by nature. Decks, attached garages, and shrubbery can all reduce air flow to unacceptable levels.

Step 3: Borate Treatment kills wood decay on contact allowing the above steps to have a greater impact. Borate prevents future fungus growth when moisture levels fluctuate.

Let Holistic Pest Solutions control your moisture and protect the substructure from wood decay. We can devise a plan that will free you of wood decay in your crawl space without the harm of misapplied pesticides.

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Serving Central Virginia