Here's a picture of some ground contact pt 6x6's used as a retaining
wall. It was 18 years old. I had to replace about half of it. The
rest was in "ok" condition. A lot of the rot started where it had to
be cut because the wall curved. The fresh cuts were done to make it
easier to dispose of.

http://home.earthlink.net/~jamesgangnc/ebay/ptwood.jpg

jamesgangnc wrote:
Here's a picture of some ground contact pt 6x6's used as a retaining
wall. It was 18 years old. I had to replace about half of it. The
rest was in "ok" condition. A lot of the rot started where it had to
be cut because the wall curved. The fresh cuts were done to make it
easier to dispose of.


1. 18 years is pretty good

2. There is a difference between "ground contact" and "durect burial" PT

3. Cutting always invites rot.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On Dec 14, 3:17*pm, "dadiOH" wrote:
jamesgangnc wrote:
Here's a picture of some ground contact pt 6x6's used as a retaining
wall. *It was 18 years old. *I had to replace about half of it. *The
rest was in "ok" condition. *A lot of the rot started where it had to
be cut because the wall curved. *The fresh cuts were done to make it
easier to dispose of.

1. 18 years is pretty good

2. There is a difference between "ground contact" and "durect burial" PT

3. *Cutting always invites rot.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it athttp://mysite.verizon.net/xico

I knew the cuts contributed but I thought use as a retaining wall was
ground contact, not burial? Guess I though 40 year would get me more
than 18.

On Dec 14, 3:30�pm, jamesgangnc wrote:
On Dec 14, 3:17�pm, "dadiOH" wrote:





jamesgangnc wrote:
Here's a picture of some ground contact pt 6x6's used as a retaining
wall. �It was 18 years old. �I had to replace about half of it. �The
rest was in "ok" condition. �A lot of the rot started where it had to
be cut because the wall curved. �The fresh cuts were done to make it
easier to dispose of.

1. 18 years is pretty good

2. There is a difference between "ground contact" and "durect burial" PT

3. �Cutting always invites rot.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it athttp://mysite.verizon.net/xico

I knew the cuts contributed but I thought use as a retaining wall was
ground contact, not burial? �Guess I though 40 year would get me more
than 18.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

you were lucky to get 18.

have friends with walls literally shells after 6 years.

two basic wall building rules.

first dont build a wall unless there is no other choice. better to
leave the slope at the angle of natural repose.

if you insist on building as wall make it out of concrete with a
proper foundation below the local frost line.

and dont complain when it moves, retaining walls are temporary at best

jamesgangnc wrote:
Here's a picture of some ground contact pt 6x6's used as a retaining
wall. It was 18 years old. I had to replace about half of it. The
rest was in "ok" condition. A lot of the rot started where it had to
be cut because the wall curved. The fresh cuts were done to make it
easier to dispose of.

http://home.earthlink.net/~jamesgangnc/ebay/ptwood.jpg

If you have receipts and properly used the cut end treatment, you may be able to
collect on the warrantee.

wrote:
two basic wall building rules.

first dont build a wall unless there is no other choice. better to
leave the slope at the angle of natural repose.

if you insist on building as wall make it out of concrete with a
proper foundation below the local frost line.

and dont complain when it moves, retaining walls are temporary at best

How about rule 3, build the wall out of rock. Took me 2 years to build
a rock wall 120' long and from 2.5' to 4' tall with two sets of steps.

This doesn't include any recent pics with roses in front of the wall and
other landscaping to the left and around the steps, also a little
goldfish pond at the far left. Before the wall, the lawn in front of
the porch was almost at 45 degree slope. Not easy to walk on especially
when wet. Rocks were all collected on my property, most of the big ones
started out barely poking out of the ground but I just kept digging.
All rocks dug by hand by myself. Thing that looks like a yardstick, is
a yardstick. Bottom first row dug in by hand. Under porch was dug out
2 feet down using a rototiller on one little tractor and the other one
(rustbucket) plowed some loose dirt but most of it was shoveled into a
cart and dumped where it was needed to fill in behind the wall. It
started off straight, but when it got crooked, I liked that look better
and went with it.

http://picasaweb.google.com/tony.miklos/20091215#

On Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:25:29 -0500, Tony wrote
Re Pressure Treated Wood Rotting:

This doesn't include any recent pics with roses in front of the wall and
other landscaping to the left and around the steps, also a little
goldfish pond at the far left.

Nice job. I notice that you didn't need much of a footing for the
wall. Are you in a relatively southern locality?
--
Work is the curse of the drinking class.

Caesar Romano wrote:
On Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:25:29 -0500, Tony wrote
Re Pressure Treated Wood Rotting:

This doesn't include any recent pics with roses in front of the wall and
other landscaping to the left and around the steps, also a little
goldfish pond at the far left.

Nice job. I notice that you didn't need much of a footing for the
wall. Are you in a relatively southern locality?

Yes, Eastern Tennessee. If I had thought of it at the time I may have
dug it down a little more to be sure. I haven't seen any movement and I
suppose it can move a bit without damage since the only place I used
mortar was in the steps.

On Dec 16, 10:34*am, Tony wrote:
Caesar Romano wrote:
On Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:25:29 -0500, Tony wrote
Re Pressure Treated Wood Rotting:

This doesn't include any recent pics with roses in front of the wall and
other landscaping to the left and around the steps, also a little
goldfish pond at the far left.

Nice job. I notice that you didn't need much of a footing for the
wall. Are you in a relatively southern locality?

Yes, Eastern Tennessee. *If I had thought of it at the time I may have
dug it down a little more to be sure. *I haven't seen any movement and I
suppose it can move a bit without damage since the only place I used
mortar was in the steps.

I can't argue that rock would not need replacing. But while I'd like
to see the pt lumber hold up better my wall is only about 25 ft long
and at it's highest point only 4 boards tall. It took a day to tear
it down, weed out the unsalvageable boards and rebuild it.

I have no choice about having a wall. It is along one side of the
driveway and there are trees in the ground that would have to be
removed to get an acceptable natural slope instead of a wall.

On Dec 16, 11:52�am, jamesgangnc wrote:
On Dec 16, 10:34�am, Tony wrote:

Caesar Romano wrote:
On Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:25:29 -0500, Tony wrote
Re Pressure Treated Wood Rotting:

This doesn't include any recent pics with roses in front of the wall and
other landscaping to the left and around the steps, also a little
goldfish pond at the far left.

Nice job. I notice that you didn't need much of a footing for the
wall. Are you in a relatively southern locality?

Yes, Eastern Tennessee. �If I had thought of it at the time I may have
dug it down a little more to be sure. �I haven't seen any movement and I
suppose it can move a bit without damage since the only place I used
mortar was in the steps.

I can't argue that rock would not need replacing. �But while I'd like
to see the pt lumber hold up better my wall is only about 25 ft long
and at it's highest point only 4 boards tall. �It took a day to tear
it down, weed out the unsalvageable boards and rebuild it.

I have no choice about having a wall. �It is along one side of the
driveway and there are trees in the ground that would have to be
removed to get an acceptable natural slope instead of a wall.

plant dense ground cover over slope and tree roots.

ivy isnt pretty but it does the job.............

but hey its your back and your money so it really doesnt matter

On Dec 14, 1:37*pm, jamesgangnc wrote:
Here's a picture of some ground contact pt 6x6's used as a retaining
wall. *It was 18 years old. *I had to replace about half of it. *The
rest was in "ok" condition. *A lot of the rot started where it had to
be cut because the wall curved. *The fresh cuts were done to make it
easier to dispose of.

http://home.earthlink.net/~jamesgangnc/ebay/ptwood.jpg

Looks like that "Top Choice" crap that Lowes sells. Their treatment
penetrates maybe half way into the wood, leaving the centers to rot
outward. I had some of their 4x4's rot out in 5 years. Lowes won't
back the warranty. They say you have to deal with the lumber company.
KC

On Dec 16, 5:48*pm, " wrote:
On Dec 16, 11:52 am, jamesgangnc wrote:





On Dec 16, 10:34 am, Tony wrote:

Caesar Romano wrote:
On Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:25:29 -0500, Tony wrote
Re Pressure Treated Wood Rotting:

This doesn't include any recent pics with roses in front of the wall and
other landscaping to the left and around the steps, also a little
goldfish pond at the far left.

Nice job. I notice that you didn't need much of a footing for the
wall. Are you in a relatively southern locality?

Yes, Eastern Tennessee. If I had thought of it at the time I may have
dug it down a little more to be sure. I haven't seen any movement and I
suppose it can move a bit without damage since the only place I used
mortar was in the steps.

I can't argue that rock would not need replacing. But while I'd like
to see the pt lumber hold up better my wall is only about 25 ft long
and at it's highest point only 4 boards tall. It took a day to tear
it down, weed out the unsalvageable boards and rebuild it.

I have no choice about having a wall. It is along one side of the
driveway and there are trees in the ground that would have to be
removed to get an acceptable natural slope instead of a wall.

plant dense ground cover over slope and tree roots.

ivy isnt pretty but it does the job.............

but hey its your back and your money so it really doesnt matter- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I've got trees and bushes in a natural area that is about 2 ft higher
than the drive at the highest point. Some of the trees and bushes are
less than 2 feet from the edge. I would have a slope greater that
45deg. I like ivy and other ground cover and I have used it in a
number of places but it has to establish. Structures are established
when you finish building them.