# Mold for Fungus?



## michaeldrehl (Mar 13, 2019)

Hi,
I wanted to know if this is mold or fungus related in the attached photo. You might need to increase the brightness on your screen. It is on couple of wooden support beams. This is in my crawlspace. The crawlspace has concrete floor.
I tried to scrape it off the wood joist but it didn't flake off. It was not powdery like regular mold and didn't get on my hand. Any thoughts?

How should I remedy this?

Thank you!


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Mold = Fungus


Treatment would be the same.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

What colour is it?


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## michaeldrehl (Mar 13, 2019)

it's whitish.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

sometime we use the same wood for forms, are you sure it is not concrete.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Looks like white mold. Get some microbial spray or some vinegar.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Need some more details.
Where are you?
Have you measured the RH, humidity down there?
Do you run a dehumidifier?

Cleaning it up is one step, eliminating any conditions that make it grow is the more important one. Having concrete down there is good but moisture vapors pass right through it, by the gallons.

Bud

I cranked up contrast and brightness ans still not sure what you are looking at.


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## michaeldrehl (Mar 13, 2019)

yeah, i know it's not concrete because it didn't flake off the wood I tried to. I sprayed concrobium about 8 months ago on the whitish parts. It is still white on the wood. 
Was it supposed to have gone away. 

I am in northern NJ. I do have dehumidifier running in the basement. The RH in summer gets to 80% without the dehumidifier running. However, this is in a crawlspace and it has a narrow opening from the basement.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

My experience with the Concrobium is it may kill the mold spores but does little to erase the appearance. Treating mold on my shower walls left them looking ugly. I went back to a bleach solution and all was gone. I assume it killed the mold but certainly left the walls looking great. It does have to set for awhile. I now have a great bath fan and mold and moisture issues are no longer a problem.

Being in NJ (I escaped) you will have high summer humidity thus the dehumidifier will need to be a permanent fixture. How much it runs will be determined by how successful you are at sealing out all incoming moisture, mostly moisture vapor. Normally an encapsulated crawlspace would do the job but your space looks complicated. I would need more pictures from down there to provide more details.

Note, humidity is inversely proportional to temp, so a cool crawlspace will hit the condensation level much quicker. Also, the performance of your dehumidifier will decrease as it gets cooler. Where does that dehumidifier drain to?

Bud


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

You're trying to dehumidify a crawl space? Good luck with that.
To be even relatively successful you need to have something on the floor (dirt?) that _maintains_ a seal keeping moisture from coming in from the environment.


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## Calson (Jan 23, 2019)

The dry rot has grown into the wood. The fungus needs a wood moisture level of more than 20% to grow which is an indication of how wet the wood is in this location.Best to cut out enough wood to remove all the spores. You may be able to add wood sister sections to reinforce where wood has been removed. Surface treatment with any chemical is a waste of time. 

One treatment that has been used for many years in Europe is to heat the space and the wood to 104 degrees for a period of a few hours as this kills the spores. 

Problem in part is that there is not enough air movement in that area and so moisture accumulates and is absorbed by the wood.. Add more vents and consider adding a fan if need be to keep this area drier. 

I often see new porches and ground level decks that have siding that prevents any airflow under the wood and the owners are not going to get the life that they should from them. 

A borate solution can be sprayed on top of wood or wood can be soaked in it and this the most effective treatment to protect against dry rot and it is non-toxic.


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