Knowing how often fungal decay occurs is a fundamental basis for general recommendations of preservative measures. To optimize the German recommendations for chemical wood preservation of windows made out of pine or spruce more than 2000 windows have been inspected. All windows had an opaque coating and were between 2 and 17 years old. The selection of the inspected windows was kept as randomly as possible. None of the windows had been previously checked for fungal decay. Approximately 0.5% of the windows in the first three floors showed visible fungal decay. Only windows oriented to the west where affected. Windows installed in the 10th to the 12th floor had a frequency of approximately 10% visible fungal decay. In these elevations the orientation of the window had no significant effect. The analysis of wood preservatives revealed that hardly any window have been treated in accordance with German standards. As the treatment of windows in Germany is still predominantly performed on frames after assembly the preservatives hardly penetrate into the critical areas of the corner joints.

Download document (611 kb)
free for the members of IRG. Available if purchased.

Purchase this document