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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Chicago, IL
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    Default Cause of hollowed out beam?

    Ran across this account of a "rotted" beam as a result of a Google search:



    - what could so perfectly hollow out a beam like that without braking through to the surface? Termites?

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    Crawl Space Creeper
    Michael Thomas
    Paragon Property Services Inc., Chicago IL
    http://paragoninspects.com

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Caledon, Ontario
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    4,982

    Default Re: Cause of hollowed out beam?

    Could be termites, carpenter ants, dry rot, definitely appears to be fire charring on the end.


  3. #3
    Stephen G's Avatar
    Stephen G Guest

    Default Re: Cause of hollowed out beam?

    where is all the 'meat' from inside that joist. Must be a pile of dust somewhere? or do they eat the stuff. Litter buggers


    Quote Originally Posted by Raymond Wand View Post
    Could be termites, carpenter ants, dry rot, definitely appears to be fire charring on the end.



  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Southern Vancouver Island
    Posts
    4,607

    Default Re: Cause of hollowed out beam?

    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen G View Post
    where is all the 'meat' from inside that joist. Must be a pile of dust somewhere? or do they eat the stuff. Litter buggers
    Ants leave sawdust piles. Termites eat the wood and leave little turd pellets. They can detect somehow (light?) when they get close to the surface, and stop before breaking thru. Termites hate bright light.

    John Kogel, RHI, BC HI Lic #47455
    www.allsafehome.ca

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Caledon, Ontario
    Posts
    4,982

    Default Re: Cause of hollowed out beam?

    ... and if the wood is in a dark basement/crawlspace?


  6. #6
    Stephen G's Avatar
    Stephen G Guest

    Default Re: Cause of hollowed out beam?

    I have seen red oak bugs in my wood pile, and they hopefully live in there not in my pine built home. How far north do they go...



    Quote Originally Posted by Raymond Wand View Post
    ... and if the wood is in a dark basement/crawlspace?



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