Pressure Treated Lumber

[Rch]

Here is an article re the changes with the new formulas for treated lumber. You'll need stainless steel nails or ,at least, hot dipped galvinize nails. Aluminum flashing is out /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif, copper is in /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Treated lumber 101

 

[Soundguy]

I know what you mean about not trusting the effectiveness of new safer products... I've seen few chemicals work as good as chlordane ( sp? ) for termites.. though it was outlawed years ago.. etc.

Yeah.. I try not to eat the wood either.. leaves a bad taste..

though I'm sure we inhale a good bit when building.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[markct]

so how good is copper for us? i can see it 20 years from now they will be talking about all the health and leeching issues of copper in the lumber, its gota be a signifigant amount if its gona cause galvinic corrosion problems. and they say right in the article that the existing stuff is safe, so why the big change then. if this stuff is so corrosive i have a feeling that even hot dipped nails will rust eventualy, then decks will fall to peices and we will have a different sorta health issue. thank god the old stuff will still be available for industrial and agricultural use, thats all i will use till this new stuff is proved out to be safer and durable enough over many years. another thing i gota wonder is what about the copper leaching out, will it leave green stains on other stuff nearby like a copper roof does? will it kill greenery? ever notice that on a roof with copper flashing around the chimmney there is never any moss growing where the water off the flashing runs down the roof, thats because it kills if off, i have even heard of places where they had a problem with moss on the roof they would install a copper ridge cap and it would keep the moss killed off on the entire roof. so how safe can copper be for plants?

 

[markct]

oh and another thing i noticed is that in the little article "how much safer" it says ya still need to wear gloves and a mask when using it. so if ya need gloves to handle it then how much safer will it be to touch in kids swingsets and decks and stuff. seems to me that the epa has its head up its rear on this one.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Don't know about people, but it's not real good for sheep and goats.

Steve

 

[markct]

hey thanks for mentioning that, i have goats and had almost forgotten about how sensitive to copper sheep and goats are. i dont see any way that this stuff is safer than the old stuff, actualy it almost sounds worst to me. im glad the other stuff will still be available, but i wonder how they will keep people from using it for decks and stuff? seems kinda silly to me, they gona make ya sign a paper saying what you are using it for when ya buy it lol

 

[zuiko]

More than 10-12mg/day of copper is toxic to people too, it can also kill in much higher concentrations. Sounds like something else we can tear out in a few years.

 

[gerard]

I'd heard that spiking a tree with a copper nail will kill it, may be something there to the toxicity to plants.

Soundguy - Can you buy the asphalt paint you refer to by the gal at retail places or is this a commercial type product only?? Also are there any name brands? Guess my question is if I go to the big orange box paint dept and look/ask for asphalt paint will I get the blank stare?

 

[Junkman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'd heard that spiking a tree with a copper nail will kill it, may be something there to the toxicity to plants.)</font>

This is true.......... you can also use copper sulfate and water it into the ground to eliminate tree stumps that continue to grow after the tree is cut. Copper is used to treat diseases in tropical fish, but is a no no with salt water fish. All minerals can cause health problems if they are in excess. The problem with the pressure treated wood is not the treatment itself, but the acid rain that releases the arsenic from the wood. Copper sulfates have also been used in some pressure treated wood for years. I had a problem at one time with a cottage with carpenter ants. It was treated with chlordane and no more problems..... ever. I have used Dursban for carpenter ants and it didn't work as effectively and now that is also banned. They used to make flea/tick collars out of it for dogs... Worked great for keeping the fleas and ticks off the dogs, but it was also banned for that purpose. Now we put Frontline on the dogs and cats and it kills the fleas/ticks..... how long will it be before this product will be considered dangerous???

 

[Soundguy]

The asphalt paint is an on shelf product. I've bought it at Home depot.. farm stores like TSC, and momnpop hardware stores. Lok for it in the fencing section. Don't be confused by the new latex fence paints.. or the asphalt driveway sealers.. it is specifically an asphalt based paint mainly for fences.. but also lists good for wetwall concrete, metal, brick, etc.. and to retreat 'dried' felt paper.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[Rch]

As said you can overload on Cu but ,generally we can metabolize and therefore excrete Cu. The lack of
excretion is a fairly rare inborn error of metabolism called Wilson's syndrome where Cu accumulates and presents as hepatitis, or worse, cirrhosis of the liver in an older adult. Remember we drink alot of water brought to you via copper pipes. There is quite abit of Cu in the enviorment. Copper sulfate is an algicide used in ponds and pools. Like sodium chloride(table salt), too much ( not enough free water) can be poisonous but we have evolutionary equipment to handle it in reasonable amounts. Think of all those pennys that have been swallowed /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif The definition of a poison is always at a certain dose over time in a given species. Moss/algae can't get rid of it. Cu in certain salts can be more poisonous than others.

 

[28RedHorses]

Pressure-treated lumber is rated by the amount of chemical retained by the wood. Lumber with a retention level of .40 is typically approved for direct ground contact. This is sometimes signified by the code "LP 22" stamped on the wood.

If in doubt ask at the lumber yard what these mean.

Hope this helps...

28Red