In 2004 the EU banned the use of arsenic and chrome in wood preservatives. Five years on and we are seeing premature fence post failures costing fencing contractors and landscapers thousands of pounds every year.
Removing poisons from fence posts has to be a good thing – but the replacement copper-based preservatives are in practice proving to be less effective at preventing ground rot, as the level of treatment required for long life is proving more difficult to achieve.
The post is at its most vulnerable at ground level, where millions of organisms live in the top 4” or so of soil doing their important task of cleaning up dead vegetation.
The Postsaver system takes a post treated to BS4817 Class 4, and using a custom application machine capable of treating up to 6 posts a minute, applies a dual-layer sleeve to the ground-line section of the post – the vulnerable part where decay rates are very high. The flexible inner bituminous sealant melts onto the post sealing the post surface, and the outer tough polythene sleeve shrinks tightly over it, preventing ground rot attack and protecting it from sharp stones. Posts can be installed using any of the normal methods, including driving, dig and backfill.
“We are getting calls every week from people whose fences have failed prematurely,” says Richard George, Director of Postsaver 25, from their Worcestershire base, “in some cases after as little as 2 years.”
Tel: 0845 643 4089
richard.george@postsaver.co.uk
www.postsaver.co.uk