new vs. used pipe for fence

[bdog]

I am looking at building some pipe fence using 2 3/8" pipe. I can get used oilfield pipe for about $10 per joint cheaper than new pipe. I am going to need about 200 joints for my project. So is it worth the extra $2000 to go new or wil the used be fine? The used pipe looks to be in good shape and not pitted.

I saw a video on gobobpipe that talks about all the cons of used pipe but they are selling new pipe. I agree with some of their points but then again nearly all the fences in my area are made of used pipe and still look good and I know many of them have been there 20 years or longer.

That $2000 saved if I go used sure would be nice to spend on a second gas powered welder to speed up the job, but then I would for everything to rust out on me.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

I have seen the video also and agree with what they say, up to a point. If the used pipe has paraffin buildup inside, it might last longer than new - just depends on more factors than what gobob discusses.

Have you calculated the cost of the used pipe in $/lb?

 

[bdog]

I haven't calculated the price in $ /lb. I guess it is a factor to consider but I am using the fence for cosmetic puposes more than anythng. We don't have any large animals and even if we do get them it is not like we are building crowding pens or anything like that so I am sure whatever material we get will be strong enough. I have used the 2 3/8 oilfield pipe before and it is plenty strong for what I need, I just have concerns about the longevity I guess,

 

[2458n]

The used pipe will out last it's owner in Ohio weather. A couple of strands of electric wire helps the,"strong enough",part. You will be part of the recycle crowd. I wish this pipe was readily available here.

 

[easygo]

What is the wall thickness of that pipe you are talking about?
I'm guessing 1/8 or more could be out in rain or shine for the next 50 years or so. You probably don't have to worry about road salt in Texas.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

What is the wall thickness of that pipe you are talking about?
I'm guessing 1/8 or more could be out in rain or shine for the next 50 years or so. You probably don't have to worry about road salt in Texas.

The used pipe he is talking about is .250 wall. The new is a nominal schedule forty, nominal because schedule forty is supposed to be .154 and what they're selling as fence tube schedule forty is .140.

I won't touch used drill stem. No one can guarantee it is clean of stuff that might come back to bite us big time down the road. In fact if you take your drill stem cut offs to the junk yards in Dallas they will check them with a geiger counter. Clicks and instead of getting paid by the pound you get charged by the ton.

Look at it this way. If the drill stem was sound they wouldn't be selling it for scrap. In the late eighties we could buy just like new drill stem for scrap price because the oil industry was doing anything they could to raise cash. It isn't that way today.

As for the fifty years, not likely. Ten to twenty maybe unless you take care to keep it painted.

Speaking of painting, if you put in any kind of black pipe fence and don't paint it you had better not attach horse wire of any kind to it. That simple surface rust will eat the fence wire where it contacts it in a very short period of time. This is especially true of drill stem.

If the original poster wants to pm me I can give him some numbers to call of some of my clients with drill stem fence.

 

[ecoslik]

I'm in Texas also. We have pipe fence at our home made of both, new and used. We do not paint our fence since I prefer the rust look versus the "bad" paint look that occurs without repainting from time to time.

As long as the pipe hasn't been magnetized as a result of being used in actual drilling, I can't see any reason not to use whichever you prefer.

If you do intend to paint the pipe, you must prepare the surface either way. The chemical and process to prepare the pipe for painting is about the same with both, new and used.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

The used pipe will out last it's owner in Ohio weather. A couple of strands of electric wire helps the,"strong enough",part. You will be part of the recycle crowd. I wish this pipe was readily available here.

That's not true. Used drill stem will rust out faster than regular pipe sometimes.

The reason it's so bad for fence is the reason they're getting rid of it because it's not sound. People look at the coupling ends and see thick wall and feel save purchasing it. I've grabbed great looking stuff and where it sat on a post be paper thin. I've seen it where when you cut it in the middle where it's got original wall thickness for three quarters of the its diameter. The other twenty five percent is literally paper.

Again, keep in mind the reason they're selling it. It won't pass thickness tests and or it won't hold pressure. It's too expensive new to replace it just because it is rusty.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I am looking at building some pipe fence using 2 3/8" pipe. I can get used oilfield pipe for about $10 per joint cheaper than new pipe. I am going to need about 200 joints for my project. So is it worth the extra $2000 to go new or wil the used be fine? The used pipe looks to be in good shape and not pitted.

I saw a video on gobobpipe that talks about all the cons of used pipe but they are selling new pipe. I agree with some of their points but then again nearly all the fences in my area are made of used pipe and still look good and I know many of them have been there 20 years or longer.

That $2000 saved if I go used sure would be nice to spend on a second gas powered welder to speed up the job, but then I would for everything to rust out on me.

In the late eighties and early nineties oil was bust. We could buy almost new drill stem for scrap price because oil was scrambling for cash. It isn't that way anymore, hasn't been for awhile.

I stopped using it before the radiation and poison gas scare about it came up. The reason I quit using it was because we were getting garbage. The installers I know that are still using it tell me that hasn't changed.

I build quality fence with new galvanized scheule forty pipe. When you throw in the cost of the first coat of paint on new black pipe the galvanized is cheaper and it lives longer, a lot longer. Next to Children's Hospital in Ft Worth there's a galvanized chainlink fence that is supposedly almost a hundred years old and still sound.

 

[bdog]

Thanks for all the replies. Wroughtn_harv I am really glad you chimed in. I have followed many of your posts on fencing over the years and consider you to be the resident expert. The new pipe I am looking at is actually thicker than standard schedule forty. It is .190 wall and 4.43 lbs per foot.

I guess the used pipe is really a crap shoot more than anything. Some people have luck with it like Ecosilk, and people that got the good stuff in the eighties, and others but then there is a lot of junk out there also. The bad part is there is no way to tell what is what by looking at it as the problem is inside the pipe.

I am on a fairly tight budget for this project and I was hoping to save some money on the pipe but I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish. I mean the $2000 savings would be great but when you look at the total cost and the amount of labor involved for the project I sure would hate for it to rust apart on me over trying to save 2k.

 

[ecoslik]

Just to clarify, the used pipe that I, previously, bought used in an estate sale was only "used" to the extent that it had been purchased in length, cut down to a standard size for fence rails, then sat inside a barn for 6+ years. The pipe had a coat of rust, but a simple inspection revealed very little penetration and a sound product.

When given a choice of new pipe or "used in-service," I have bought only new 3/16" wall thickness. In fact, I bought 5000' (approx) of new pipe and square tube for more fencing on Saturday, a couple of days ago. :thumbsup:

Sorry to create any confusion.

 

[MBDiagMan]

When the oil business crashed in the early eighties, LOTS of oil field pipe was available CHEAP for quite awhile thereafter. I saw LOTS of fence go up with it and I still see lots of that fence still standing and in great shape.

If it were me I wouldn't hesitate two seconds if it was readily available and offered a savings.

BTW something I learned in piecing a little pipe fence together is to clean it well and use a DC welder with 7018.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Thanks for all the replies. Wroughtn_harv I am really glad you chimed in. I have followed many of your posts on fencing over the years and consider you to be the resident expert. The new pipe I am looking at is actually thicker than standard schedule forty. It is .190 wall and 4.43 lbs per foot.

I guess the used pipe is really a crap shoot more than anything. Some people have luck with it like Ecosilk, and people that got the good stuff in the eighties, and others but then there is a lot of junk out there also. The bad part is there is no way to tell what is what by looking at it as the problem is inside the pipe.

I am on a fairly tight budget for this project and I was hoping to save some money on the pipe but I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish. I mean the $2000 savings would be great but when you look at the total cost and the amount of labor involved for the project I sure would hate for it to rust apart on me over trying to save 2k.

.190? That's great. I would jump on it twice.

I am just finishing up replacing twenty six posts that were rusted completely through on a fence I put in four years ago. It's around a pool and I believe the reason for instant decay is the pool is a salt water pool. I replaced the posts with posts that are sold two inch square bar stock for the bottom three feet. They're solid one foot out of the ground. It was a very difficult job. The posts were King hammered fourteen gauge tubing. When I say rusted through, I mean a fence where the only solid posts were the corners which are higher than the line posts and had less exposure to the salt water.

I have a lot of respect for rust. That fence had plenty of rustoleum primer and color top coat. It sitll rusted through in four years. I've seen new pipe got to heck in less than ten years without paint protection.

A couple of months ago I lost a job because I was about twice the price of the competition. The client begged me to bid the job using the competition's specs. I wouldn't do it. I've been around this business long enough to see the results of taking some unwise shortcuts.

Use your new pipe and plan on painting your fence twice at three year intervals. Then you can just jump to five year intervals after that. Always keep in mind that it won't rust under a run.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Hopefully someone with more knowledge of the subject will also comment on the best way to install the posts. I have a vague recollection that how the posts are set can have a significant effect on the longevity of the whole fence. Electrolysis, sacrificial anodes, joint compounds, and stuff like that. If the corrosion is coming from the inside out, there is no point in painting.

 

[bdog]

Well I opted for the new. Seemed like a good deal on the pipe compared to what is in my area so I got a whole semi load headed this way. I am thinking maybe I can sell off the excess and make up the difference I paid for this over used.

 

[Egon]

Oilfield pipe is not all made or used equally and it's fencing qualities might vary quite a bit.

It's a matter of checking what you are buying. Tap along a section of pipe with a hammer. If it's henskin you'll find it quickly.

If the steel fence posts are corroding rapidly a cathodic protection system might
slow down the corrosion.

As noted hazardous materials may be lurking in the residual coating left in the pipe. Also note that this coating may/may not prevent further pipe corrosion. It's all about the type of residual and the type of corrosion. Lots of that pipe will have bacteria hidden under the scale that just keep doing here thing.

Pays your money. Takes your chances!:thumbsup: