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Preservatively Treated Lumber and Corrosion


Pressure Treated Lumber and Corrosion.

    
     Photo:  BRANZ:  Marine Environment Accelerates Corrosion. (le) Bolt/Nut - 3 Years Mild Environment;
(right) Bolt/Nut - 3 Years Marine Environment

By now, most inspectors will have seen instances where a relatively new deck or foundation has hardware that inexplicably exhibits high levels of corrosion. In some cases, it may be so significant that it le you scratching your head wondering why?  Beginning in 2002, the chemical formulas used for preservatively treated (PT) lumber were altered to include much higher levels of copper.  An unintended consequence of this has been a significant increase in metal corrosion where it contacts the high-copper level PT materials. In extreme cases, corrosion can be so severe that metal connectors and fasteners may degrade to structural failure in as little as six months. We have all seen copper pipes directly connected to galvanized water pipes. The galvanized pipes corrode because of the reaction between the two metals.  This is EXACTLY the same issue, except the copper is in the PT wood and the ferrous metals that corrode are the nails, screws, bolts, washers, nuts and structural metal connectors.

To Read The Entire Article, Click Here.    New Zealand BRANZ Corrosion Study

 

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