Wood Pole Maintenance Manua

Question 1

What does pole need to be safe, reliable and econmial

Answer 1

It needs an effective program to detect and treat deteriorating poles before replacement becomes necessary.

Question 2

What is a good method recommended to people who are unfamiliar with inspecting poles

Answer 2

Know your poles and to that take a new pole and a old one and split them in half and observe it history such how preservative worked on the old pole and if it had insect colonies and etc.

Question 3

What’s inside the bark of a cedar tree

Answer 3

a zone of white sapwood surrounding a dark colored heartwood

Question 4

Does sapwood varies depending on the species of the tree

Answer 4

Yes

Question 5

What is the difference of red cedar and Douglas fir

Answer 5

Red cedar compared to Douglas fir its sap wood is less than inch thick compared to Doulgas fir which is increase 1 in small pole and 2 inch in a very large pole

Question 6

What is the difference of Fast-growing tree and slow growing tree

Answer 6

Fast growing trees has deeper sapwood compare to slow growing trees

Question 7

What is 90 percent of the tree made of

Answer 7

90% of trees is made of hollow fibers that are length wise along the tree stem. The fibers are 1/5 inch long. They are 100 time longer than wide

Question 8

What is the 10 percent of the tree made of

Answer 8

The 10 percent that finish the tree structure is made of short, hollow brick shaped cells that originate from the bark of the bark toward the tree as ribbons or rays of unequal height and length

Question 9

What is the environment that and weather that make sapwood deteriorate fast

Answer 9

Warm and moist soil make sapwood deteriorate fast

Question 10

What are the species of tree that don’t have reliable hardwood

Answer 10

-Douglas Fir

-Western Larch

-Southern Yellow Pine

-Westerm Hemlock

-And others

Question 11

What are the species of tree that have reliable Hard Wood

Answer 11

-Ceder

-Red Wood

And other species

Question 12

What makes species with reliable Hard Wood different than with species that dont have strong hard wood

Answer 12

-They last 3 to 5 time longer

-Preservative makes their service life from 15 to 30 more years of service

Question 12

example of high-density species and low-density species

Answer 12

• (HD) Douglas Fir
• (LW) Western Red Cedar

Question 13

What make nondurable Heartwood tree more efficient that to use reliable Hardwood tree

Answer 13

nondurable trees are much more abundant

Question 14

What is density in the aspect of tree species

Answer 14

Low density species of tree is more light weight than a high-density tree when its dry

low density has more void which hold more water

higher the density in a specified moisture content the stronger the wood is

Question 15

At what location are trees denser and where are they less dense

Answer 15

Near the ground they are higher in density

At the top they are low in density

Question 16

At what part of the tree contain more moisture

Answer 16

Sapwood of a tree contain more moisture because it conducts the nutrients from the roots to the leaves it stores water at the top of the tree where it has the most void (low dense) to water it leaves

note: heart wood doesn’t contain as much moisture

Question 17

The effect of shrinkage and check how it happens

Answer 17

When a poles dry and season they only shrink when moisture content drops to 30 percent and below

-Wood shrinks more along than across the growth rings

-Small v check form in the surface of the wood

-As drying continues the check disappear and only a few deep check appear

-Deep checks in the center indicate a well season pole

small check is not a great indication of a dry pole

Wide narrow check indicates a well season pole

note: if the check becomes wide enough, they expose the untreated wood in which make the tree open to tree destroying organism

Question 18

(ANSI 1972)

Answer 18

(American National Standards Institute)
Untreated poles

Question 19

(AWPA)

Answer 19

American Wood-Preservers’ Association
Treated poles

Question 20

How does preservative work on tree species

Answer 20

They penetrate the sapwood providing it a shell. If their moisture on the sapwood it makes much easier for the penetration of preservative to spread

Heart wood is much more are to penetrate with preservative, so it needs several slits 2 1/2 inches deep or perforated with rows of parallel holes expose the ends of the long wood fiber

another way to penetrated hardwood before the treatment saw a kerf to the center of the butt to five or more feet above the ground

Question 21

What destroys the structural integrity of wood

Answer 21

Decay Fungai

Question 22

What does fungai need to live

Answer 22

-It requires water, air, correct temperature, and food

Question 23

What moisture does wood need to prevent Fungai

Answer 23

20%
(overdry basis)

Question 24

What prevent Fungai growth

Answer 24

Air limits its growth when the wood is submerged in water or buried deep in the ground.

Freezing temperatures stops the growth and becomes seldom

80°F and decreasing as temperatures approach 100°F. Most fungi are killed at temperatures exceeding 150°F.

Question 25

What promote Fungai growth

Answer 25

Temperature between 32°F and it peak 60°F fungai is active.

Question 26

What are the bodies of fungai

Answer 26

Mushrooms and conks

Question 27

How does Fungai reproduce

Answer 27

its produce with billions of microscopic seed-like structures called spores.

Question 28

How do spore operate

Answer 28

spores germinate and produce hyphae, minute thread-like strands that penetrate throughout the wood. The hyphae secrete enzymes that dissolve the cellulose and lignin of wood into simpler chemicals that fungi can use as food.

Question 29

How can you detect early signs of Fungai on wood

Answer 29

Early fungal attack on wood usually can be detected only by microscopic examination. During the early stages of decay, some fungi may discolor the wood or substantially weaken the wood, especially its toughness

Question 30

What are the stages of the decay on wood

Answer 30

-wood becomes brash (breaks abruptly across the grain),

-loses luster and strength

-changes in color

Question 31

Decay in advance stages is called what

Answer 31

rot

Question 32

Brown rot

Answer 32

a brown, advanced decay that crumbles when dry, is common in most soft woods.

Question 33

White-rot

Answer 33

fungi bleach or whiten wood in the advanced stage of decay, or they form small white pockets in rotted brown wood.

Question 34

Soft-rot fungi

Answer 34

hat slowly cause an external softening of treated wood have extensively damaged poles below ground.

Question 35

“dry rot”

Answer 35

this nomenclature is misleading because at one time the wood must have been wet enough to support fungal growth.

Question 36

non-decay fungi

Answer 36

also inhabit wood, feeding on cell contents, certain components of cell walls, and the products of decay. Frequently only non-decay fungi can be isolated from rotted wood. Sapwood-staining fungi may reduce the toughness of severely discolored wood; other non-decay fungi gradually detoxify preservatives, preparing the way for decay fungi. Rapidly growing non-decay fungi frequently interfere with the culturing of the slower growing decay fungi.

Question 37

Untreated poles

Answer 37

Poles rot in the sapwood right below the ground line where moisture and air are harmony for Fungai growth

once the Fungai is settle it extends several inches into the heartwood especially when there are seasonal checks

It doesn’t matter if the poles have 20% moisture aboveground it keeps rotting always as rainwater collects in the seasoning check

moist climates, poles with untreated sapwood above ground may have either surface rot or shell rot below the surface.

outer shell of solid wood, the hidden shell rot makes climbing hazardous for Electrical Workers.

Untreated poles or piles in fresh water deteriorate above the water line but not below where the oxygen supply is limited.

Question 38

Decay pattern with relation to Douglas fir

Answer 38

it varies greatly for treated poles of Douglas fir with its low-durability heartwood and of cedar with its durable heartwood.

Question 39

Decay relation to western red cedar

Answer 39

External rot can be cut off

Shell rot occurs frequently in moist climate in 12 to 15 years

Lost of thin sap wooed does decrease the strength of the pole

internal rot is found below or above the ground line and sometimes at the top of the pole

it has pocket of internal rot are nearly always clearly defined with a sharp demarcation between rot and sound, bright wood

depending on the water table cedar poles in dry soils can rot both externally and internally several feet below ground.

Question 40

Decay relation of Doulgas fir

Answer 40

it varies greatly for treated poles of Douglas fir with its low-durability heartwood and of cedar with its durable heartwood.

pressure treated poles very rarely have external rot above ground and only infrequently have it below the ground line

the ground line zone should be checked periodically, especially on poles treated with new preservatives or processes

Internal rot is associated with checks that are below of or near the ground line, bolt holes, woodpecker holes, cut made during installation above ground, top of the pole is cut and is untreated an expose

Internal rot varies from small pocket or loss of central core

If a pocket of rot is detected, decay fungi can sometimes be cultured from much of the surrounding cross-section for several feet above and below the pocket. Usually no clear line separates sound (undecayed) and rotted wood in Douglas fir.

Question 41

What are other wood inhabiting organism

Answer 41

Insects

woodpecker

marine boring animal

Question 42

What is the most destructive organism wood face

Answer 42

Fungai

Question 43

What are the insects that attack wood

Answer 43

Temites

Carpenter ants

beetles

Question 44

What are termites

Answer 44

Termites work within wood with virtually no external evidence of their presence until the winged adults emerge and swarm in late summer and early fall. Then their wings, discarded for mating and starting new colonies, may indicate their presence.

sizes lengths vary from 1∕4 inch or less (subterranean and dry wood) to 3∕4 inch (damp wood), termites have bodies of fairly uniform width; the reproductives have wings of equal length.

Question 45

What are Subterranean termites

Answer 45

are widespread and cause extensive damage, especially in southern states. Sure signs of their presence are the mud tunnels across treated wood or concrete that subterranean termites build from the ground where they nest to reach the untreated wood above. Damp wood termites inhabit moist wood in, on, or above the ground along the Pacific Coast. Dry wood termites feed on dry wood, primarily in the southern United States.

Question 46

What are carpenter ants

Answer 46

They have restricted waist. the reproductive have wings. They don’t eat wood they just hollow it for shelter. Evidence of their existence is the saw dust made at the base of the pole. They are dark colored with a length of 3∕4 inch. They live in colonies

Question 47

What are beetles

Answer 47

Buprestid is the most common in the Pacific Northwest. These metallic golden or green beetles, 3∕4 inch long, make an elliptical hole as the adults emerge from the pole to mate. Trained pole maintenance personnel recognize these elliptical holes as an indicator of internal rot often associated with attacks by the Buprestid beetle. Numerous emergence holes may indicate an unsafe pole.

Question 48

Woodpeckers and their relations to poles

Answer 48

Woodpecker drum on poles as a mating ritual. They also us it a location for insect, store acorn and future food source.

they use heavy galvanized hardware cloth to seal the holes

Question 49

Marine borers relations to poles

Answer 49

Shipworms are bivalves (mollusks) have small shell on their head. they burrow into the wood making a hole that can be 3/4 in diameter and 2 feet long

Gribbles, small crustaceans about 1∕10 inch long, tunnel in large numbers just below the surface of wood. Because waves break off the weakened surface layers of wood, gribbles gradually reduce the effective diameter of the wood.

Pentachlorophenol-treated wood should not be used in marine waters

Maine borers do more damage in southern latitude where special preservative is needed compared to northern latitude where pole is preserved with creosote

Question 50

Where do marine borers ten to attack

Answer 50

coastal waters where salinity and oxygen supply are favorable.

Question 51

What is Incipient Decay

Answer 51

Its form on untreated pole tops within one year. It reaches advance stage (rot) in 2 to 4 years.

Question 52

What is the difference between the sound wood and decaying wood

Answer 52

Sound wood has a fibrous structure and splinters when broken across the grain, whereas rotted wood is brash and breaks abruptly across the grain or crumbles into small particles

Question 53

What is the pick test

Answer 53

Lift a small sliver of wood with a pick or pocketknife and notice whether it splinters (sound) or breaks abruptly (rotten)

Question 54

Shovel

Answer 54

scraper with triangular blade, or dull probe can be used to detect below ground rot on the pole surface. Cutting the blade of a shovel back several inches facilitates removal of earth around poles and from the surface of poles. If scraping exposes untreated wood, treat that area with a preservative solution or paste.

Question 55

Hammer

Answer 55

use a lightweight hammer to feel the pole
you start from the top and make you eay down

Question 56

Increment Borer (Bit, Handle, and Extractor)

Answer 56

its orgin is to measure tree growth but it can be use to extract wood core for examination and as well as of shell thickness and depth of preservative penetration

note: Cores can be retained and cultured for fungi.

Question 57

Brace and Bit

Answer 57

A twist drill 3∕8 inch in diameter that is welded to an electrician’s bit or an extension rod of slightly smaller diameter permits rapid drilling into poles to well below the ground line. An abrupt decrease in drilling resistance indicates rot or a void. Wet wood, especially in cedar poles, and natural voids can falsely suggest rot. During the drilling process, examine wood particles to determine depth of the preservative and to note discolored wood and signs indicative of rot.

Question 58

Shell-Thickness Indicator

Answer 58

Insert a metal rod and pole back if you feel resistance, it means its solid.

A shell-depth indicator detects rot in poles by “feeling” growth rings in sound, but not rotted, wood when inserted or removed from snug-fitting holes.

Question 59

Power Auger

Answer 59

Poles can be inspected rapidly with an auger 1∕2 inch or more in diameter. Drilling resistance changes abruptly when the auger penetrates rotted wood. Chips can be examined.

Question 60

Pol-Tek

Answer 60

It’s a sonic device develop by the Detroit Edison company. It starts 6 inches below the ground line it sends an echo made with a hammer if the dial is low compared to other reading it means its bad pole. It saves good pole from being drill

Question 61

Shigometer®

Answer 61

It was developed to detect decay on live tree. it uses electrical resistance. Wood moisture need to be at or above 27%. which is typical of decaying wood or the ground line of poles. which is typical of decaying wood or the ground line of poles.

Question 62

Moisture Meter

Answer 62

Resistance-type meters can be used to detect wood with a moisture content that exceeds 20%, the safe limit to prevent decay.

Question 63

Inspecting Poles in Service

Answer 63

The time and extent of the pole line inspection will vary greatly depending on the inspector’s knowledge of the pole system.

Question 64

intial pole inspection

Answer 64

it should be initiated bt digging to 18 inch deep will reveal surface decay in most areas, but you may have to dig deeper in dry areas where cedar poles can decay below the incised zone (about one foot above to three feet below the ground line).

Question 65

Inspecting from The Ground

Answer 65

1 Condition of Pole Above Ground

2 Sounding

3 Drilling or Coring

4 Digging Inspection

5 Holes or Cuts Made During Inspection

6 Treating Excavated Poles

Question 66

Treating Poles in Service

Answer 66

External supplemental treatments have long been used to successfully control surface decay in the outer one inch of poles. Only recently has internal decay of Douglas fir poles been successfully controlled by volatile toxicants. Depending on the condition of a pole, it may require an external treatment, an internal treatment, or both.

Question 67

External Treatments

Answer 67

Above ground surface decay of cedar poles can be controlled by flooding the untreated sapwood with pentachlorophenol (usually 10%) in petroleum oil.

Below ground, bandage treatments minimize environmental contamination yet control surface decay by reinforcing the original preservative treatment. Water-soluble arsenicals and fluorides, alone or mixed with creosote or pentachlorophenol, diffuse into wet wood. They can be brushed on, injected 21∕2 inches into the wood through a needle at the end of a long lever, or incorporated on or in the wrap.

Question 68

Internal Treatments with Water-Soluble Chemicals

Answer 68

Thick solutions of water-soluble chemicals or arsenicals and fluorides can be forced into voids in poles to diffuse through wet wood and control internal rot or insect damage.

Volatile liquids such as gasoline combined with creosote or pentachlorophenol have been successfully injected into voids to rid poles of ants.

Question 69

Internal Treatments with Fumigants

Answer 69

Volatile chemicals “vapam, vorlex, and chloropicrin” effectively control internal decay of Douglas fir poles.

Question 70

Reinforced Poles

Answer 70

Fumigants also are being used to stop decay in reinforced poles. Locate treating holes above the decay pocket and in solid wood to make sure that wood beneath the bands retains its strength. By stopping decay, fumigants eliminate the need for cutting off poles at the ground line. This way, the strength remaining in the poles can be utilized.