Replies

1. 
   JeffKurtz | Sep 20, 2002 11:42pm | #1

   Herb,

   Treating with a preservative may help - I don't know what they use now since you can  no longer buy creosote.  Cedar posts tend to rot off at ground level before the buried sections do, but this usually takes 20-30 years.  Hand peeled posts will last longer than sawn or machine peeled.

   Jeff

1. 
   alexan8494 | Sep 23, 2002 04:13pm | #2

   thanks for the info. I was thinking about soaking it in some oil like linseed and hopefully prevent much water absorption.

1. 
   MPHarper | Sep 23, 2002 05:22pm | #3

   Go to a lumber store and you can get a green chemical, I forgot the name, to treat the posts to prevent rotting.  I used last year when I built a fence for my sister-in-law.  They say its supposed to last indefinately.

   Matt-

2. 
   noone51 | Sep 23, 2002 05:55pm | #4

   Herb, directly buried in the soil it can last between 10 and 15 years. It all depends on the climate and soil. As was stated before, it will usually rot off at ground level and this is because eventually the wood will soften and the bugs will get to it. Jasco makes a product called Terminate that will slow the bugs down for a few years. Its green and may be what was mentioned in a previous post. 

   One trick that helps is to pour quick set concrete around the post and slope the top of the concrete down and away from the post. Don't put concrete under the post. This way, if water does get between it and the wood it has somewhere to go. I've also seen posts wrapped in 20lb felt and then flashed and sealed with caulk before the concrete is poured. I've ground out as many of those as I have the others so I doubt that its worth the cost or the effort.

   Before you set the post, treat it with a coat of Penafin. Be sure to wipe off the excess with a rag. Then, every 18 months, power wash it and re-treat it. Also, try to keep soil from contacting the wood.

   You may also want to consider one of the new types of non-toxic pressure treated woods as an alternative to cedar.

   
   

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   Edited 9/23/2002 10:57:08 AM ET by no one

   
   

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   Edited 9/23/2002 10:57:41 AM ET by no one

1. 
   Jimma | Sep 24, 2002 12:00am | #5

   "no one" has good advice, but if you live anywhere south of Atlanta, it's pretty dicey to use cedar (or redwood) directly in the ground and I don't care who tells you otherwise. Be safe and use pressure treated. I've had cedar rot in one year here in Florida except when set in concrete.

3. 
   coonass | Sep 24, 2002 01:22am | #6

   herb,

   Impel rods should work.

   http://www.ewoodcare.com/products/borates_preserve/impel_rods.html

   KK