[TowerTalk] Wood posts

[n0tt1@juno.com]

I've had all I can take from "treated" wood posts!  hi hi
(but see below).
They simply don't seem to last for a "reasonable"
length of time around here in Missouri...so I use
7' steel fencing "T" posts, pounded in with a hand-held
post driver (a heavy steel pipe, plugged at one end
with a large solid steel rod, welded in place)...then
I tie on say, a 10 foot length of 2" PVC pipe
with heavy cord, or in some cases, large hose clamps.
The pipes do not need to be guyed except for the
ends of a Beverage run.  I leave the top and bottom
"open" on the pipe to discourage insects from moving in.

The inexpensive "Cell Core" type of PVC works just
fine...has a thick enough wall that is plenty stiff to
support beverage wires.  It comes in 20 ft lengths
at farm supply stores but you can easily cut it with
a hack saw at the time of purchase for transport home. 

No holes to dig in the ground, easy to pull up
with a tractor lift arm or bumper jack, easy to install
and 100% reusable!

Now, if one "has to" to use wood for permanent installations,
I have *heard* that the life of underground wood can be
extended by drilling a hole downward, say 45 degrees just above
ground level and squirting in a wood preservative
(such as "Penta") then inserting a cork.  "Penta" will
leach out over time into surrounding soil (see below!)
and into the wood.  Insect damage/"rot" usually occurs in the 
first 6 inches or so below ground level so that's the
area that needs protection.

Replenish the chemical every couple of years or
so.  A word of caution though..."Penta" and other wood
preservation chemicals are, in a word, "nasty" stuff and
I personally don't use it for health and environmental
damage it can cause.  

73,
Charlie, N0TT

On Thu, 26 Jul 2001 08:58:16 -0400 "Tom Rauch" <w8ji@akorn.net> writes:
> 
> I'm planning on using pressure treated 2x4's to support some 
> Beverages. I'll just poke some holes in the ground with my tractor's 
> 
> post hole digger attachment, and drop the 2x4's in.
> 
> Does anyone have any tips on making the wood last longer, or will 
> it be OK in direct contact with soil?? Will it last ten years or so?
> 73, Tom W8JI
> W8JI@contesting.com 
> 
> 
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