# Forum Home Renovation Landscaping, Gardening & Outdoors  More evidence Treated pine is rubbish

## stevoh741

I know there are a lot of TP fans here but here is more evidence why I say it is complete rubbish. Both pics were H4 treated and installed to spec with any cuts properly treated. Both pieces were only partially in ground and are less than 3yrs old. Both are rotted to the point that it crumbles in your hands. Both were next to treated hardwood that is still as good as the day it went in. So in conclusion TP is either rubbish or we as customers in qld are being ripped off and told lies. No way would this pine see 25yrs let alone 40 as the manufacturers would have us believe. I see this time and time again and hence refuse to use treated pine.

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## Bloss

If that was what it was doing it would never sell . . . that suggests to me not treated to Australian standard as neither show any signs of having been treated (the green looks like algae?). I've seen H3 in ground last 10 years around always wet garden beds ands still be OK and I know of H4 & H5 that is over 40 years in ground and as good as. Patterns of consistent and large numbers of failure are needed to know whether your claims are true for all TP - everything I have seen says it is fine when used as per spec and as I have said failing to follow specs is the most common cause of failure in the field. 
But - if you don't like it you don't have you use it - nor does anyone else.

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## ringtail

You all know I agree 100% with Stevo ( sorry Bloss :Biggrin:  :Biggrin: ) and this is what I see around Brisbane on a regular enough basis for to be turned off it forever.

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## goldie1

I use treated pine and I also use hardwood both have there place IMO. I have never seen treated pine fail 
like that. As its less than three years  old do you know who the supplier was and can you see what they 
have to say about it?

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## Random Username

From the colour of the exposed timber in the middle it looks completely untreated - I've never seen any CCA treated pine that hasn't the green colour all the way through.  
It's possibly treated with one of those newer, non-CCA treatments that don't contain arsenic, like LOSP...which I'll agree is rubbish foisted on the industry by the same sort of people who come up with claims about being allergic to wireless internet and don't believe in vaccinations -  I'll wait another 30 years before thinking about using non-CCA treated stuff.   
If you've still got an end piece with the treatment level and treating stamp, I'd take it up with the plant as that stuff looks like it got no treatment whatsoever.  If not, phone the timber development association in your state and see who the right people to annoy are. 
 Here's a good durability study (started in 1968-69) of hardwoods, ranking them by their tested serviceable lifespan (pdf file): http://www.privateforestrysthnqld.co...d-accacias.pdf 
Interestingly, Melbourne seems to have the most aggressive soil/insect/fungus conditions, as the Melbourne samples had the shortest median lifespan.

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## stevoh741

> From the colour of the exposed timber in the middle it looks completely untreated - I've never seen any CCA treated pine that hasn't the green colour all the way through.  
> It's possibly treated with one of those newer, non-CCA treatments that don't contain arsenic, like LOSP...which I'll agree is rubbish foisted on the industry by the same sort of people who come up with claims about being allergic to wireless internet and don't believe in vaccinations -  I'll wait another 30 years before thinking about using non-CCA treated stuff.   
> If you've still got an end piece with the treatment level and treating stamp, I'd take it up with the plant as that stuff looks like it got no treatment whatsoever.  If not, phone the timber development association in your state and see who the right people to annoy are. 
>  Here's a good durability study (started in 1968-69) of hardwoods, ranking them by their tested serviceable lifespan (pdf file): http://www.privateforestrysthnqld.co...d-accacias.pdf 
> Interestingly, Melbourne seems to have the most aggressive soil/insect/fungus conditions, as the Melbourne samples had the shortest median lifespan.

  The timber was all H4 treated and to answer earlier question I use about 4 timber suppliers up here so can't remember which one. I did speak to one of them and took them a sample and he said "good luck, without proof of purchase you won't get anywhere." He also said even with proof of purchase you probably wont get anywhere! To show you it is not limited to one job I built a hardwood fence about 3.5 years ago at my brothers place. All the h'wood is good as new however I installed a H4 TP sleeper rail at the bottom to stop the dog getting out. Same product different supplier, same failed result:  
@Bloss: I don't doubt your claims that it holds up well where you are in ACT however this is what happens in QLD. You are right I don't have to use it and trust me I don't, however just want to inform everyone here of potential outcomes when considering using it. It is not a one off and as Random Username says it has its place I just think that place is at the rubbish tip. And, like I said either H4TP doesnt hold up in Qld climate or we are being ripped of as it is not being treated properly or we are being lied to by suppliers. Scares the hell out of me to think what we will use when h'wood no longer becomes a viable option. 
p.s. I have also tried beefing up HP TP with CN oil before installation on garden edge but the jury is still out on that one (only been 1yr). Only mine (and some others in Qld) experiences and as they say on the share forums DYOR (Do Your Own Research)

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## ringtail

Wow that's shagged big time

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