PRESERVATIVES
Wood is the ideal material for utility poles. Wood poles are produced from a renewable resource which is resilient and extremely resistant to oxidation, corrosion, fatigue, crumbling and spalling. With CCA preservative, these wood poles are easily and cost-effectively protected against the biological degraders that cause it to weaken and collapse in nature, namely: fungi and termites.
WOLMANIZED® CCA HEAVY DUTY™ WOOD
For seven decades, pressure-treatment with waterborne chromated copper arsenate (CCA) has protected poles against termites and decay. The treatment leaves wood clean-to-the-touch, so CCA poles are a good choice where contact with skin or clothing is likely. They are neighbor-friendly.
Because CCA fixes to the wood, there is virtually no preservative movement out of the pole or within it. This means that there is not a need for ground-line remedial treatment of aging poles. Nor is it necessary to rotate poles when they are stored for long periods.
Furthermore, Wolmanized® CCA poles from Beach Timber Co. are treated with oxide formulation that results in low conductivity and low corrosively. The low conductivity protects against the effects of current leakage and increases the safety of line workers; low corrosively means no corrosion problems with galvanized bolts, screws, and steps.
Supporting transmission and distribution lines around the globe, Wolmanized® CCA treated wood utility poles have been exposed to almost every soil and environmental condition imaginable with the same results: long service life, reliability and dependability.
Advantages WOLMANIZED® CCA HEAVYDUTY™ WOOD
Emulsion Technology (ET) Poles
For more than three decades, ET® emulsion has performed as intended, making Wolmanized® Heavy Duty™ CCA poles easier to climb. No other product has ever come close to accomplishing that. ET® emulsion is a complex mixture of co-dependent components such as oils, emulsifiers, adjuvants, etc. Each component has a specific function and while others may seem to be similar, it takes a very precise blending to create the mix of the components to accomplish a continuously performing emulsion that enhances climbability throughout the pole’s life. In the case of ET® emulsion, the components were selected to allow the emulsion to withstand the treating process, the exposure to CCA and wood constituents, as well as dirt and other impurities in the solution.
ET® emulsion is a proprietary formula that has performed in all kinds of climates (from the Artic to the Caribbean), weather, water and impurities. There really is no other “just like ET® product”. Although attempts have been made, none have lasted due to their inability to handle the rigors of treating process in a CCA plant and the exposures of CCA poles in service for the expected number of years. Pylodyns and other lab tests may
be able to screen candidates, but until it is applied in a real treating plant on real CCA poles and observed and actually climbed over the years, it’s just another “climbing additive” wannabe.
The ET® pole combines the longevity and cleanliness of CCA poles with the climbability of oil-impregnated poles. ET® poles are treated with a refined hydrocarbon oil emulsion in the outer layer of the pole following treatment with CCA. The viscous oil emulsion serves as a lubricant, making the pole easier to climb and to work on
without affecting the preservative properties of the CCA treatment.
Benefits of ET Poles
A life cycle assessment confirms the environmental advantages of CCA poles over alternatives.
An independent consulting firm prepared a quantitative evaluation of the environmental impacts associated with the national production, use, and disposition of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated, concrete, galvanized steel, and fiber-reinforced composite utility poles using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies and following ISO 14044 standards. The comparative results confirm:
-Less Energy & Resource Use: CCA-treated utility poles require less total energy and less fossil fuel than concrete, galvanized steel, and fiber-reinforced composite utility poles. CCA-treated utility poles require less water than concrete and fiber-reinforced composite utility poles.
-Lower Environmental Impacts: CCA-treated utility poles have lower environmental impacts in comparison to concrete, steel, and fiber-reinforced composite utility poles for all six impact indicator categories assessed: anthropogenic greenhouse gas, net greenhouse gas, acid rain, smog, ecotoxicity, and eutrophication-causing emissions.
-Decreases Greenhouse Gas Levels: Use of CCA-treated utility poles lowers greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere whereas concrete, galvanized steel, and fiber-reinforced composite utility poles increase greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.
-Offsets Fossil Fuel Use: Reuse of CCA-treated utility poles for energy recovery in permitted facilities with appropriate emission controls will further reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, while offsetting the use of fossil fuel energy.
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
msds
Safety Data Sheets For Treated Wood Products (formerly known as MSDSs)
Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) provide useful safety information for contractors and people who handle materials on a regular basis. Following are SDSs for our products.