Last in the series. Thank Grok.

THE OLD HOUSE DOCTOR 3-3-03

 

ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE PRESSURE TREATED WOOD

OR

OSMOSE SAFETY

 

          I promise that this is the last in my series on pressure treated wood. I’ve told you about the chemicals that are in today’s P.T. wood, and explained the changes that will occur within the next year. Now for safety. These rules apply to both CCA and tomorrow’s P.T. wood, ACQ. Don’t know what I’m talking about? You should have been listening instead of chewing gum and passing notes.

          The copper, chromium and arsenic in CCA are in solution form and can leach into the soil. Organic Gardening claims that raised beds made with CCA timbers can taint your veggies. Use rocks instead, and make sure they don’t glow in the dark.

          Breathing the dust of CCA cannot be good for you: wear a mask when cutting it. If you build decks for a living, this might seem uncomfortable, but slow poisoning through heavy metals is worse. At least use controlled breathing while cutting.

          The manufacturers recommend that scraps should not be burned. So what should you do with them? According to the guy I talked to at Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, scraps and dust should be mixed with other construction trash and taken to the landfill. He said it was in Oklahoma, so this was acceptable. I am not making this up.

          There are alternatives to using CCA or ACQ. Composite wood/plastic products such as “Trex” are made from wood chips and recycled (or virgin) plastic, and are supposed to last five times longer than CCA. This is comforting to the Oklahomans near the landfills, I am sure. It is two to three times as expensive as wood and takes longer to install.

          You could build your deck from redwood or cedar, but they will eventually rot just like any other wood, and are again, more expensive. Using opaque stains, even on CCA, will make your deck last longer.

          Or you could just build a patio out of flat stones and not poison anybody, nor contribute to an industry you might not otherwise care to support.

          Even though I am a carpenter, I don’t like supporting Tree Farms. I plan to start building houses from water. Then when you get a leak in your roof, the water comes together to fill it. Sounds like a plan.

          “VIRGIN” plastic?? PULLL EEEEZE.

Second in the series on pressure treated wood. Though pretty much obsolete, there is still some of the older P.T. wood containing arsenic out there. Keep an eye out.

THE OLD HOUSE DOCTOR 2-18-03      

PRESSURE TREATED LUMBER II

          That wet, heavy, green lumber you bought to build your deck is about to go the way of the dinosaurs. No, it won’t be the victim of an apocalyptic meteor impact. Well, okay, it COULD, but we’re splitting straws here. What I’m telling you is that recent federal legislation will change the formula for treating wood.

Presently, this wood (called CCA) is most commonly treated with copper, chromium and arsenic, all heavy metals. The arsenic is the most dangerous, and the chemicals, being in solution form, can leach from the wood. Concern for children’s exposure to CCA in playground equipment has prompted the legislation that banned CCA from being produced after December of this year.

I will not climb up on my soapbox to call this purely political, because I wouldn’t want my nonexistent kids to be constantly exposed to chemicals such as these. Nor would I preach in the other direction, saying that few cases of arsenic poisoning have been documented from this source. Allergic reactions to peanuts hurt more children each year than CCA lumber, unless it falls on them. But I digress, and that usually smells bad.

The fact is, what was CCA will become ACQ, an abbreviation for alkaline, quat and copper. Copper is still there, and my research into just what type of alkaline and what in the world “quat” is has led me nowhere. I don’t believe it’s the same stuff they chew to get high in Yemen.

An inquiry to Hickson Company, one of the state’s biggest treaters, showed me that they don’t really know what it is. I will continue to research.

They did tell me these facts. Prices for treated wood will increase by 40% as ACQ is introduced, then will come down as the change is made. ACQ works just as well as CCA to repel rot and insects. There are other products that may emerge to compete with ACQ.

My guess is that ACQ will be found to have some detrimental effect on laboratory mice when fed to them in large amounts. As would peanuts.

Next time, we wrap this subject up with safety tips YOU should use around CCA wood.

This was in The Lovely County Citizen of Eureka Springs, and is nearly obsolete. Pressure treated wood no longer has the dreaded arsenic, but as far as I know, still has copper and chromium. So don't suck on a splinter.

THE OLD HOUSE DOCTOR 2-3-03

PRESSURE TREATED WOOD PT. 1

          There are few things more misunderstood than the dangerous substances encountered in dealing with old buildings. Lead, silica, asbestos, volatile organic compounds from curing varnishes and paint; it’s a veritable witch’s brew. All have had their usefulness, and many have been eliminated because of health concerns.

          I understand the mindset to avoid the use of toxic substances in building. The manufacture of these chemicals is far more toxic than their use. But I want to point out some things about one product in particular: pressure treated wood.

          Infused with copper, chromium and arsenic, CCA (or ‘osmose,’ or ‘that heavy wet green crap they build decks out of’) is yellow pine that, after treating, is more resistant to rot and termites than non-treated wood. It not impervious to these problems: it just resists them well.                   Don’t believe me? The picture shows what happens when a porch frame is built out of anything but CCA. The builder of this porch used spruce, a particularly bad wood for this purpose. The builder should be ashamed. He should have at least known better.

The porch is less than ten years old. It is costing thousands to fix.

All this could have been avoided with the use of CCA. It is CODE to use CCA in an exposed location or where there is wood contacting a pier or other foundation masonry. It is sheer idiocy NOT to.

Many people have concerns over the health issues involved in using such wood. Chromium, copper and arsenic are all very toxic elements, all heavy metals. So why do laws insist on their use?

To avoid the problem illustrated.

But CCA will be phased out this summer, to be replaced by other types of pressure treated wood. Why? I’ll discuss this next time.

Want to contact me? You can at artandarchitecture@earthlink.net

This appeared in the Lovely County Citizen of Eureka Springs Arkansas way back when I was crazy enough to live there. It proves that on many occasions, I had no idea what to write about ("About what to write!!!" E.B White screamed while turning in his grave).

THE OLD HOUSE DOCTOR 11-29-04

ASK DR. SMARTYPANTS

          I figure its time to impart some really useful information on electricity, such as the fact that you can make a balloon stick to just about anything by rubbing it on your hair first. Except cacti. It’s also an excellent way to collect unused dandruff for charity.

          This is due to static electricity, which is prevalent now due to sunspots and the spinning of Atlantis or some other hippie diatribe based on psychoactive substances. My point is you should not dig around in your computer to change modems or sound cards before making sure you previously discharged the static electricity you gathered walking across the carpet. This can be done by touching your dog or spouse. Computers are very sensitive to even the slightest change (such as breathing in the same room), so make sure you shock someone else before touching the machine.

          “Chewing wintergreen Lifesavers in a dark room produces green sparks in your teeth.” I’m sure most of you old hipsters heard of this while reading Tom Robbins’ “Another Roadside Attraction.” I know I did, man. Heh heh. The shocking fact is that YOU CAN DO THIS WITH ANY HARD CANDY CONTAINING SUGAR. Don’t ask me how it works, just stay away from the gas pumps while doing it.

          “You can die from a lightning strike that comes through your phone lines.” This is true; though phone lines carry a miniscule amount of electricity (about one sixteenth of a leper-groot), they can indeed transmit a huge amount of leper-groots when struck by lightning, so use the cordless when it thunders. I am not making this up. Well, okay, the leper-groot bit I did.

          “You are protected from lightning while in your car.” This is basically true, at least for me. I have twice been hit by lightning while driving, and all it did was fry the electrical harness in my 1970 Chevy Van. The same bolt hit four other cars simultaneously and they all drove away. It probably has something to do with the tires. Send your questions to “Ask Dr. Smartypants” and I’ll do my best to avoid them.