Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

[creskol]

Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

.. so I thought I would throw this in just for whatever educational value it may have. This is a shot of a telephone pole I saw this weekend in Maryland.

 

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[Produce Guy]

Re: Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

I've always wondered what kind of tree do they use for a telephone pole and how long do they last(years),before being replaced?

 

[timekiller]

Re: Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

I've always wondered what kind of tree do they use for a telephone pole and how long do they last(years),before being replaced?

I think most are creosote treated pine poles. I always think it's funny to call them telephone poles cause most now & days have nothing to do with a telephone.(electric line poles) Most phone lines today are buried under ground.

Many poles are replaced well before the end of their useable lifetimes. This is often especially true with used telephone and used utility poles whose average life span is somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 years while the actual useable life can be as long as 75 years.

After some cleaning and topical treatment most used poles, such as used telephone poles, can be used again to build anything from pole barns to fences to golf course nets and park facilities.

Take Care,
Pete,

 

[kuger]

Re: Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

Yes,treated pine,a huge majority of the phone lines are still arial here in the west.In the 70's the poles were treated with a chemical that was to preserve them and it worked but made the wood harder than a rock!!!Us Lineman despise em!!!!The are terrible to get a gaff in!!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

My Dad told me they used a lot of decay resistant Chestnut during the Chestnut blight because the trees were going to die anyway. He said they asked everyone to sell their trees. I dont know if any are still in use.
http://www.appalachianwoods.com/appalachianwoods/history_of_the_american_chestnut.htm

I would agree the majority are pressure treated pine. The older ones were creosoted.

Most utility poles are made of wood, pressure-treated with some type of preservative for protection against rot, fungi and insects. Southern yellow pine is the most widely used species in the United States; however, many species of long straight trees are used to make utility poles, including Douglas-fir, Jack pine, lodgepole pine, western red cedar and Pacific silver fir. Traditionally the preservative used was creosote, but due to environmental concerns, alternatives such as pentachlorophenol, copper naphthenate and borates are becoming widespread in the U.S. For over 100 years, the American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) has developed the standards for preserving wood utility poles. Despite the preservatives, wood poles decay and have a life of approximately 25 to 50 years depending on climate and soil conditions, therefore requiring regular inspection and remedial preservative treatments wikipedia

 

[trikikiwi]

Re: Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

An interesting post, pun intended

I'm surprised to see you still use Pentachlorophenol (PCP) over there. It's use was banned here in New Zealand in 1988. There are some particularly nasty substances produced during it's manufacture; persistent organic pollutants, organochlorines such as dioxin.

Still, it works preserving the timber.

At what price?
Once it's in the wood, it might leach out into a very local surround. The problems lie with the sites where it is/was manufactured, the workers who manufacture the product and those who use the product; not forgetting those who deal with the wastes.

Mike

 

[Dano Sverige]

Re: Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

Don't tell them the poles are covered in PCP!...All the druggies will be running around like beavers and choking on splinters!

 

[DirtyMike]

Re: Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

Hey Rob, could you go back to that pole and pick me up that company number 3. Just kidding. Hope all has been well your way. Has you and your son got out any since DIV?

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

Re: Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

Don't tell them the poles are covered in PCP!...All the druggies will be running around like beavers and choking on splinters!

Good one dano!
The cat has no idea how she missed that one, must be slipping, or sipping...........

Love our linemen! Sounds like ya'll gotta a lot of work coming up in Ok and Mo. sorry to say

 

[RiverRat3]

Re: Lots of these types of "things" show up here from time to time ..

Very typical around the area I live. Everything now (power lines, telephone lines) are getting burried. I believe they are pine. I see them get replaced either after a car hits it or it breaks from age.