Treating submerged wood

[bstw]

We have a river at the end of the garden and I fancy building a little pontoon/jetty type thing so I can sit with me feet dangling in the water on hot sunny days.

Anyone know what can I treat a couple of B&Q sleepers with that won't leach out in to the water?

[Flintstone]

Use steel instead?

Mind you..........

[sparkythecat]

I doubt that B & Q stock timber suitable for marine applications.

You need to go to a reclaim yard and source some pitch pine, greenheart or keroin.
That's what piers were traditionally built from

[Aviz]

bstw said:

We have a river at the end of the garden and I fancy building a little pontoon/jetty type thing so I can sit with me feet dangling in the water on hot sunny days.

Anyone know what can I treat a couple of B&Q sleepers with that won't leach out in to the water?

Used Engine Oil. They'll last for years.

[Laurel Green]

If you are using railway sleepers, they should already be treated with tar. If in doubt and, can find any oil-based bitumastic paint, a good coating would not go amiss.

[bstw]

I'd considered steel but I don't really have the skill or equipment for it.

I'll check out those woods though, I'd done some googling but couldn't find much info on what was used to build the old wooden piers.

Whatever I use I wont have to resort to old engine oil as the previous owners of the house left me a full bottle of creosote in the shed

[bstw]

Laurel Green said:

If you are using railway sleepers, they should already be treated with tar. If in doubt and, can find any oil-based bitumastic paint, a good coating would not go amiss.

I'm not sure you can buy old sleepers anymore due to the nasty stuff they're treated with.

I was thinking more along the lines of a couple of these http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detai...

[Laurel Green]

bstw said:

I'm not sure you can buy old sleepers anymore due to the nasty stuff they're treated with.

Have just Googled and, there are some for sale Here. They seem to be treated with Creosote which I know to be now banned but, might be of use.

[RedLeicester]

You can buy sleepers all over the place, just not from the fecking highstreet ripoff merchants.

[GAVINLIM]

You can call the following companies to purchase timber that can be used for marine piling:

Anderson Sawmills Limited
Doddington Park Farm,
Bridgemere, Nantwich,
Cheshire CW5 7PU
Tel: [phone]
Contact: Mr Brian Spark

Associated Timber Services Limited
Honey Pot Lane, Colsterworth
Nr Grantham, Lincolnshire
Grantham NG33 5LT
Tel: [phone]
Contact: Mr John Alderson

Billinghay Sawmill
Hurn Drove, Billinghay,
Lincoln LN4 4BL
Tel: [phone]
Contact: Mr Peter Lonsdale

These companies should be able to help you.

[dave_s13]

Out of interest.

How the heck would you drive these into the riverbed, enough so that you have a secure set of columns to fix a platform on to?

[bstw]

dave_s13 said:

Out of interest.

How the heck would you drive these into the riverbed, enough so that you have a secure set of columns to fix a platform on to?

I have no idea

That would probably have been my next post. It's only a small river, I can happily walk round in a pair of waders so I could probably dig out some of the bed to sit the piles in. Otherwise a thought about building them on the bank and setting them in blocks of concrete that I could then move into the river. Have to give it a bit more though....

Thanks for the addresses, I'll speak to some of the local wood yards to see if they can supply anything suitable.

[Condi]

dave_s13 said:

Out of interest.

How the heck would you drive these into the riverbed, enough so that you have a secure set of columns to fix a platform on to?

Big hammer or small digger?

[dave_s13]

bstw said:

dave_s13 said:

Out of interest.

How the heck would you drive these into the riverbed, enough so that you have a secure set of columns to fix a platform on to?

I have no idea

That would probably have been my next post. It's only a small river, I can happily walk round in a pair of waders so I could probably dig out some of the bed to sit the piles in. Otherwise a thought about building them on the bank and setting them in blocks of concrete that I could then move into the river. Have to give it a bit more though....

Thanks for the addresses, I'll speak to some of the local wood yards to see if they can supply anything suitable.

Hmm, you're going to need a hefty bit of kit I reckon, to bang the feckers in there.

Otherwise you pontoon will slowly transform into a dinghy launch

There must be a novel way of doing it though.....someone on here will learn ya.

[Wacky Racer]

Why not use a few pieces of secondhand scaffolding pipe?

It's cheap, strong and will never rust.

[Laurel Green]

Wacky Racer said:

Why not use a few pieces of secondhand scaffolding pipe?

It's cheap, strong and will never rust.

Good idea!
If you do go with the timber; a couple of old dustbins - stand timber in and fill with concrete.

[B17NNS]

Concrete fence posts don't rot.

[Simpo Two]

B17NNS said:

Concrete fence posts don't rot.

But would the steel bit in the middle rust and rupture it from inside?

[B17NNS]

Simpo Two said:

But would the steel bit in the middle rust and rupture it from inside?

Good point, you do see the odd fence post where the concrete has blown due to the reinforcement rusting.

Has to be a way though, galvanised reinforcement maybe or an admix in the concrete. Sika 1 or something.

You could cast them yourself, knock up a long thin box structure, get a bit of stainless bar and use a concrete with a waterproofer. Put a length of copper tube in it ready to accept bolts for the deck joists.

[Laurel Green]

Could also go plastic. A tad expensive but shouldn't rot. Clicky