Plastic post sleeve

[okie]

While cruising around on the internet I found a product that I thought was interesting. They are plastic post sleeves that you slide onto posts that are to be set into the ground. These sleeves are closed off at the bottom and are supposed to completely seal the post to 18" above ground level. I was thinking a guy could use his own posts and cut a groove along the bottom of the post to just above sleeve height and use this as a channel to add a borate or napthenate preservative periodically. Not sure what the price of these are but it seems feasible to me that they would work if a guy wanted the bracing and stability of buried posts.
Any thoughts?

[Radar67]

First thing that popped into my head....

If the post is sealed from dirt and the sleeve is 18 inches above ground, how do bugs get to the post. Just my opinion, but seems like a waste to treat posts for nothing. Also, adding a liquid to a dry post would cause it to swell, possibly causing it to crack the sleeve, especially if the post was subjected to freezing temps with liquid standing in the sleeve.

[beenthere]

okie
Do you have a name or a link to these sleeves you found?
thanks

[woodmills1]

there is a previous post on these

[okie]

Here ya go beenthere   http://www.plasti-sleeve.com/plastisleeve.html

My way of thinking on the treatment was that moisture will inevitably get in there from the top, if by no other means than condensation and that leads to possible fungal problems hence the treatment. I do'nt think the swelling will bust these, I make pipe of the same type polyethelene and it wont bust from freezing and pressure busts between 5-11000 psi. If that were a concern though, you could use a funnel and dry borate to fill the groove and count on any possible water infiltration to carry the borate into the post.
Just thinking here, but I can see no reason at all that this could not work well with roughsawn un(pressure)treated posts.
I have no Idea what these cost though, I think you have to call which means they are probably pricey.

[Ron Wenrich]

If your using them on a building, I don't think they have that much merit.  The 3 things you need to promote rot and fungus is moisture, air, and food. 

The food part is the wood.  If you get below 12" in the soil, the air is not enough to support fungus growth.  That's why utility poles are inspected to just the top 12".

Moisture is provided by the surrounding soil.  But, if its under roof, then you don't have that problem.  So, putting the sleeves on really isn't doing anything.   

If you were to use them on fence posts, the problem I see is that rainwater would run down the sides and would sit there.  It would actually encourage rot.  Any wood that is put into concrete will rot quicker than put into soil.  The concrete holds the moisture. 

[Dave Hanny]

If you were to use them on fence posts, the problem I see is that rainwater would run down the sides and would sit there.  It would actually encourage rot.  Any wood that is put into concrete will rot quicker than put into soil.  The concrete holds the moisture. 

I was thinking the same thing about it being a 'cup' for water to collect in.  I was taught by a concrete guy to never seal in to concrete the bottom of posts because the formed and hardened concrete would form a bowl that collected water and would promote rot. 

Looks like they have a 'short-sleeve' to address that 12" area you were speaking of, while leaving the bottom open.  It's about half-way down on their page.

[woodmills1]

the full sleves are designed to be above grade when installed

[Ironwood]

Up in Skaneateles NY (snow country) my MIL has had her mail box blasted by the plow truck more times than anyone cares to count. If there is a new driver on the rig, sometimes they take out boxes by the hundreds . Well, I came up w/ a swinging/ swivelling post idea. You cannot use steel above ground for fear of killing some careening driver so I used cedar and cantilevered the the box out 5-6' from the post and sunk a schedule 40 -  4" pipe in the ground. I had to "fit" the 4x4 into the post a good bit but it has been there for 6-8 years, they have racked HARD w/ the state BIG batwing plows (launching the box itself 20' up into the hedge 20' back from the road), one car did the same although it didn't quite get 20' up. I have had to "patch" it on subsequent trips but it still stands, and the SLEEVE is the key. We are on box #2 or 3 and the original post . Guess I can do at least ONE thing right in the ole MIL eye anyway.

                Ironwood


                Ironwood