Hello:
This is one of those just-curious type of questions.
Guess it probably varies throughout the country, but what type of wood/tree is used for the street telephone/power poles in the northeast ?
What type of preservative do they use these days ?
How long do they typically last ?
Bob
The coating they use is supposed to last at least 30 years. It's the same stuff used in the lumber industry (green treated). I'm not sure what is is exactly, but I was told (when I worked in a lumber yard as a lad) it contain Arsenic.
Dwayne
Don't know about 'these days' but I was told it was creosote several years past.
hth,
tom
Ask in misc.industry.utilities.electric ; they should be able to tell you all about it.
Matt Roberds
snipped-for-privacy@notme.com (Robert11) wrote in :
Most poles in distrubution (as opposed to transmission) systems are Southern Pine, pressure treated with creosote. They are rated as to how many pounds of creosote per cubic foot of wood is used in the treatment. Durability depends upon how many pounds per cubic foot is retained by the wood. An 8 pound treat may last 20-30 years under normal conditions. A ten-pound treat may last 30 - 40 years. YMMV. Salt and Copper Chromium Arsenate are also used in some areas. CCA poles seem to be more common in transmission systems. All preservatives are toxic to some extent, that's how they preserve the wood, by killing fungus. You may occasionally run across a cedar or chestnut pole. These are naturally rot resistant, but expensive and scarce. In the 70's I climbed a few that had been in plant since the early part of the 20th century.
One of my grandfathers worked for Southern New England Telephone Co. from
1929 to 1970. The farmhouse he remodeled when he retired has the living room paneled in tongue & groove chestnut boards that were milled from old poles.Mike
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