Fungi (F-Codes)

ATH

The dark, sooty staining and mould on damp render, timber and shaded brick is fungal — networks of fine filaments that push into the surface and feed on it, shielded by a slime layer that shrugs off ordinary cleaning. The 'F-Codes' identify which fungi a property carries, because lasting removal means disrupting the living network at depth, not just wiping the surface.

The F-Codes are the ATH Codex family for fungal colonisers — moulds and microfungi — that establish on damp organic and mineral surfaces of the built environment. Fungi advance by hyphal networks that physically ramify into porous substrates and secrete enzymes and acids that degrade the host; within mature biofilms they contribute to the exopolysaccharide (EPS) 'slime shield' that regulates internal moisture, traps atmospheric nutrients and protects the colony from UV and chemical sanitisers. The F-Codes index species by substrate, moisture regime and health risk (relevant to indoor-air and Awaab's-Law-class damp/mould escalation). Because the EPS matrix defends established colonies, treatment pairs the physical wash with hyphal lysis — disrupting the cell walls — rather than relying on surface biocide alone, followed by a biostatic finish.

hyphal lysis

The F-Codes are the ATH Codex family for fungal colonisers — moulds and microfungi — that establish on damp organic and mineral surfaces of the built environment. Fungi advance by hyphal networks that physically ramify into porous substrates and secrete enzymes and acids that degrade the host; within mature biofilms they contribute to the exopolysaccharide (EPS) 'slime shield' that regulates internal moisture, traps atmospheric nutrients and protects the colony from UV and chemical sanitisers. The F-Codes index species by substrate, moisture regime and health risk (relevant to indoor-air and Awaab's-Law-class damp/mould escalation). Because the EPS matrix defends established colonies, treatment pairs the physical wash with hyphal lysis — disrupting the cell walls — rather than relying on surface biocide alone, followed by a biostatic finish.