b_kind2animals
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Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2009 3:17 pm
Location: Chicago area

Agongos, your success w/ the longevity of your application of WTW may or may not be germane to what the OP is seeking. The conditions for above-grade applications are quite different than "ground contact" for which pressure treated was designed for.

But obviously p.t. is to be avoided as per THG's post.

I'm trying out a system using 4 x 8 x 16 cinder blocks. I use Gorilla Glue to glue three at a time together. Now I have a raised bed "wall section" 8 inches high by 4 feet long. I drive a short length of conduit through the hole in the center of each section, and when I have the length of wall I want, I cap it off with a long length (or lengths) of 1 x 6 that I've treated w/ linseed oil.

I drive a flathead Tapcon concrete anchor one or two per section of cinder blocks to lock the whole thing together linearly. Another reason for the wood cap is that it is more pleasant to kneel on than cinder block. (I rounded off the top edges w/ a router to add to the comfort factor.)

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5136/5543490414_997545a765_m.jpg[/img]

I suspect that the inevitable rot will start where the wood contacts the cinder block, but since it has a chance to dry out from time to time, I hope to get at least a few years service out of the wood cap.

The cinder blocks are like 88¢ each. Less if found on the occasional sale. I could be wrong, but so far I haven't found any information on the net that suggests that chemicals could leach out of the cinder block. But if anyone here knows differently, I'd appreciate the information.

The Helpful Gardener
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Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

True cinderblock can be made from fly ash, which can be full of nasties, but for the most part it is simply concrete at this point, so lime is the usual leach, and that ain't all bad...

HG

bob11
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Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 2:33 pm
Location: jackson wyoming

[quote="The Helpful Gardener"][quote]Pressure treated lumber works great.[/quote]

we used the eco wood treatment as well on our garden raised beds,its all non toxic ,from sherwin williams, great store

[url=https://www.essortment.com/pressure-treated-wood-safe-eat-63490.html]Not for food crops...[/url]

While the arsenic based pressure treat has gone the way of the dodo, the new stuff is usually treated with a copper salt. One of the features of all salts is their solubility. So while the majority of the treatment will stay in the wood, just like the old arsenate treatment, there will be leaching...

And while this is no where near as dangerous as the old stuff, metals in soils get used slowly, tend to build up over time, and can lead to serious plant or health issues, so a lot of folks remain concerned about using it... even the [url=https://www.loghelp.com/images/document/MSDS_LifeTime.pdf]new treatments are claiming proprietary secrets [/url]which will keep them a mystery until the patent is up...

Just a heads up... the cypress is a great idea, as is locust (the non-rotting wood of choice for us northern types). Naturally resistant woods are a great way to tackle this isse, as are cinderblock, or better yet, straw bale sides...

HG[/quote]

dave11
Newly Registered
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:20 pm

Hello Everyone

Just want to say Eco Wood Treatment , made by Intl Eco Wood Treatment Registered in British Columbia.

and a company called lifetime wood treatment , by Valhalla wood preservatives Registered in Alberta.
are two Different Companies No Connection!!

Thank You

dave11
Newly Registered
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:20 pm

.

dave11
Newly Registered
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:20 pm

The Helpful Gardener wrote:
Pressure treated lumber works great.
Not for food crops...

While the arsenic based pressure treat has gone the way of the dodo, the new stuff is usually treated with a copper salt. One of the features of all salts is their solubility. So while the majority of the treatment will stay in the wood, just like the old arsenate treatment, there will be leaching...

And while this is no where near as dangerous as the old stuff, metals in soils get used slowly, tend to build up over time, and can lead to serious plant or health issues, so a lot of folks remain concerned about using it... even the new treatments are claiming proprietary secretswhich will keep them a mystery until the patent is up...

Just a heads up... the cypress is a great idea, as is locust (the non-rotting wood of choice for us northern types). Naturally resistant woods are a great way to tackle this isse, as are cinderblock, or better yet, straw bale sides...

HG

dave11
Newly Registered
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:20 pm

Eco Wood Treatment and lifetime wood treatment are different companies



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