Post and Pole Treatment / Testing

Fence post and pole treatments against rot and insect damage can be applied by the end user in the field (brushed) but more often it is applied during the manufacturing process either by soaking or forcing the preservative into the wood under pressure.

Common types of treatment that are effective for ground contact include oil-borne preservatives (creosote, pentachlorophenol, etc) or water-borne preservatives (cromated copper arsenate (CCA), amine copper quat (ACQ), copper azole, etc). Other types of treatments are suitable for above ground use only including borates, cyproconazole, propiconazole, etc. A sleeve type liner is sometime used to cover the portion of the post that will be in contact with the ground (with and without preservatives) to provide an extra layer of protection. It also contains the preservatives within the wood and prevents leaching into the soil. Some sleeves are added in the field while others are only applied by the manufacturer.

Wood treatment analyzers are also available that provide analyses of a wide range of wood treatment products. They can come precalibrated to test a variety of common products and can be adapted for new wood treatment products.

- Nisus Corp, Kalamazoo Forest Products, Protective Packaging Ltd, Postsaver USA, Spectro Analytical Instruments images.