A newly set pole with accumulated preservative at base of pole.
Resetting a Used Pole
There are many reasons to reset a pole: road moves, line retirements and upgrades to higher voltages or equipment where the existing pole doesn’t make the grade. In those cases, oftentimes, the pole being removed still has some good life left in it.
In resetting a pole, there are some potential hazards that can shorten the life of a pole significantly. However, these hazards can be prevented with a little care.
A newly-set pole has had a good amount of wood preservative added to it through thermal, pressure and mechanical processes. The objective is to fill this piece of organic vulnerability full of wood preservative that will carry it far into the future.
Most wood preservatives that are used as original treatments for poles are petroleum-based. Wood fibers run vertically up and down a pole. Over time, the preservative will move with gravity from the top of the pole to accumulate at the base of the pole and will move into the ground around the base. This forms a sterile environment around the most decay-vulnerable part of the pole.
When a pole is moved and reset, that “sterile environment” is left behind. The pole is then put into a newly dug hole and new soil is filled around the pole. The new soil has none of the protective properties of the old soil and it is also aerated from the digging activities, meaning more oxygen at a greater depth than what one finds with an established pole.
Another potential hazard in resetting a pole is that there is potential for mechanical damage either from an auger or handling activities. If this mechanical damage occurs, it exposes the wood across grain, which holds moisture and also exposes a potentially non-treated part of the pole to decay.
All these things add up to the potential shortening of the life cycle of a pole.
How to Offset the Potential Problems
There are a couple of things that can be done to extend the life of a reset pole.
1) Inspect the pole thoroughly with a sounding and boring before resetting the pole. There is no sense in resetting a pole which has decay that has started, when one takes into account the labor and other factors involved. I would be happy to assist in an evaluation.
2) Install a quality pole wrap at the point of resetting. The best on the market is Osmose PoleWrap as its primary ingredient, Sodium Fluoride is deep-penetrating and hangs in there longer than the boron-based preservatives are able. They run about 20 dollars or so apiece, but are well-worth it. They, in effect, recreate the sterile environment around the pole base.
3) Take care when removing the pole, transporting it and resetting it. Mechanical damage in the groundline zone is a big hurdle to overcome, so it is best if it does not exist.
Some people are under the impression that an old pole is not a good pole. That is not necessarily the case. Wood does not lose strength simply by becoming old. It loses strength through biological or mechanical degradation. Old wood can be very good wood, and quite frankly, some of the older poles were grown very slowly and are very dense. Don’t toss them just because of age!
Best Regards,
Joel Rovang
RAM Utilities
There are many reasons to reset a pole: road moves, line retirements and upgrades to higher voltages or equipment where the existing pole doesn’t make the grade. In those cases, oftentimes, the pole being removed still has some good life left in it.
In resetting a pole, there are some potential hazards that can shorten the life of a pole significantly. However, these hazards can be prevented with a little care.
A newly-set pole has had a good amount of wood preservative added to it through thermal, pressure and mechanical processes. The objective is to fill this piece of organic vulnerability full of wood preservative that will carry it far into the future.
Most wood preservatives that are used as original treatments for poles are petroleum-based. Wood fibers run vertically up and down a pole. Over time, the preservative will move with gravity from the top of the pole to accumulate at the base of the pole and will move into the ground around the base. This forms a sterile environment around the most decay-vulnerable part of the pole.
When a pole is moved and reset, that “sterile environment” is left behind. The pole is then put into a newly dug hole and new soil is filled around the pole. The new soil has none of the protective properties of the old soil and it is also aerated from the digging activities, meaning more oxygen at a greater depth than what one finds with an established pole.
Another potential hazard in resetting a pole is that there is potential for mechanical damage either from an auger or handling activities. If this mechanical damage occurs, it exposes the wood across grain, which holds moisture and also exposes a potentially non-treated part of the pole to decay.
All these things add up to the potential shortening of the life cycle of a pole.
How to Offset the Potential Problems
There are a couple of things that can be done to extend the life of a reset pole.
1) Inspect the pole thoroughly with a sounding and boring before resetting the pole. There is no sense in resetting a pole which has decay that has started, when one takes into account the labor and other factors involved. I would be happy to assist in an evaluation.
2) Install a quality pole wrap at the point of resetting. The best on the market is Osmose PoleWrap as its primary ingredient, Sodium Fluoride is deep-penetrating and hangs in there longer than the boron-based preservatives are able. They run about 20 dollars or so apiece, but are well-worth it. They, in effect, recreate the sterile environment around the pole base.
3) Take care when removing the pole, transporting it and resetting it. Mechanical damage in the groundline zone is a big hurdle to overcome, so it is best if it does not exist.
Some people are under the impression that an old pole is not a good pole. That is not necessarily the case. Wood does not lose strength simply by becoming old. It loses strength through biological or mechanical degradation. Old wood can be very good wood, and quite frankly, some of the older poles were grown very slowly and are very dense. Don’t toss them just because of age!
Best Regards,
Joel Rovang
RAM Utilities