Pressure Treated Wood
Pressure Treated Wood
(OP)
I am looking at a one year old wood fence enclosure around a diesel backup generator. The fence is comprised of 4x4 wood posts, 2x4 #2 spruce horizontals top and bottom and vertical wood slats fastened to the horizontals. The project manager for the fence is telling me that the contractor used pressure treated timber. I see no incision marks on any of the wood, not do I see any green colour which would be characteristic of wood pressure treated with copper naphthenate I believe.
I believe that although the majority of pressure treated timber is incised, there is some that is not. But the lack of green or gray colour seems to me to indicate that it was not pressure treated. It was just a normal wood colour. The whole thing was done on the cheap without drawings/specs as far as I know.
Is there a simple test that can be done that would prove whether or not it was pressure treated? Are the observations described above sufficient to prove that it is not pressure treated or treated wood? I suppose we could ask for the invoice for the wood proving that it was pressure treated.






RE: Pressure Treated Wood
Professional and Structural Engineer (ME, NH, MA)
American Concrete Industries
www.americanconcrete.com
RE: Pressure Treated Wood
Never see any Spruce, treated lumber before - but I guess that is locale dependent.
I imagine there are some testing labs that could help.
RE: Pressure Treated Wood
Dik
RE: Pressure Treated Wood
This is in the Toronto area. I have certainly seen incised wood that was not necessarily intended for foundations. I suppose I should call the Canadian Wood Council and ask them.
To TehMightyEngineer - where is the copper test kit sold? At garden nurseries? Home Depot?
RE: Pressure Treated Wood
Professional and Structural Engineer (ME, NH, MA)
American Concrete Industries
www.americanconcrete.com
RE: Pressure Treated Wood
RE: Pressure Treated Wood
Professional and Structural Engineer (ME, NH, MA)
American Concrete Industries
www.americanconcrete.com
RE: Pressure Treated Wood
I had a couple of scraps in my shop so I have attached a picture of a couple of fresh cuts. If it were painted (seems not), maybe they could hide the marks, but they would need to put on a few coats. There is no difference in the CCA treatment for PWF foundations.
In Ontario I believe the bluwood treatment is becoming more popular because it does not rely on the same chemicals. That would not have the incisions, but it would be blue if not painted. I do not have any experience with bluwood because our local stores only stock the CCA treated versions.
http://www.bluwoodcanada.com/protection.html
RE: Pressure Treated Wood
To Klitor - to avoid a long story I just said project manager. Actually it is a religious institution where one person has volunteered to look after all the miscellaneous little items of varying nature that need to be attended to, to keep the facility running, etc.
RE: Pressure Treated Wood
http://cwc.ca/design-with-wood/durability/pressure...
RE: Pressure Treated Wood