Wood Rot or Termites – Tell The Difference

If you see any signs of wood damage, you might think it’s either termites or some type of wood rot. Which does make you wonder, how do you know what situation you are in and how can you tackle the issue? Here are some of the main differences that you need to look out for here!

How can you tell the difference?

When you see any termites around, clearly the wood damage comes from them. However, sometimes you don’t even see the termites at all, so that makes you wonder what happens and how you can tell if you have any of them or it’s just wood rot.

With that in mind, when you have termite damage, most of the time that means the wood is hollowed out, maybe even wavy. The wood rot will keep the wood soft and spongy. In many cases, the wood will fall apart even if you touch it, which does become some sort of an issue.

Another thing to note here is the fact that wood rot will bring in a specific odor. You will notice that right off the bat, which is not the case if you have termites. If these termites also invade wood rot, the sure that becomes quite the problem. Another important aspect is to see whether you have fungi there or not. When you see fungi, then that means wood rot is the issue here and you have to deal with it.

Understanding the types of wood rot

Dry rot will usually lead to wood decay and it appears when you have moisture content. Dry rot will attack wood that’s not treated in any way. With that being said, you will notice that the fungi here will grow and the wood will erode more and more. Wet rot on the other hand appears from water damage, and it will also be accompanied by a damp odor, discoloration and wood cracks.

As you can see, termite damage is quite different from wood rot. Most of the time wood rot also has fungi around, which makes it easier to identify. Yet in the end, you do need to talk with an exterminator so they can check for themselves. That way you can be certain there are no problems and you can actively eliminate termite problems as quickly as possible if there are any!