New Epa Guidelines Change Deck-building Procedures - Deck-building Expert Warns Homeowners About Corrosion

(Monday, October 11, 2004) - New EPA regulations are changing the way homeowners build decks according to John Hart, Structural Design Consultant with Archadeck.

In a move intended to keep arsenic and chromium from leaching into back yards and playgrounds, the Environmental Protection Agency banned chromated copper arsenate (CCA) as a preservative for most wood intended for residential use. According to Hart, replacement products use more copper, which makes the new lumber more expensive and more corrosive.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," says Hart. "While the new products are more corrosive than the old ones, the corrosive level is still very low. The only time we see a problem is when people use incompatible fasteners."

While many products on the market are corrosion-resistant, many of them are not resistant enough. Because copper creates an electro-galvanic response, fasteners and flashings should be stainless steel and copper whenever possible. Fasteners should be specifically designed for use in wood treated with ACQ or Copper Azole.

"Unfortunately, fastener grades are not always marked on the product boxes," points out Hart. "That makes it difficult for the do-it-yourselfer. It's a little easier for us, because we have been using high-grade, hot-dipped products all along."

The confusion over product compatibility is only one of the factors that brings homeowners to Archadeck. "These days, desires surpass capabilities for many homeowners," he says. "Not many people want a square box tacked to the side of their house."

Hart says that more and more customers want multiple levels and multiple features, but few of them understand local building codes, and most don't know where the utility lines are located. The most complicated and worrisome part, he says, is attaching the ledger board to the house. "Homeowners are rightly concerned about drilling holes into their foundation. That is why so many people are hiring professionals to build new decks."

Homeowners with existing decks made from old CCA lumber need not worry about hiring a professional to replace them, however. "The old products leached arsenic and chromium at very low levels, and the EPA says they're perfectly safe. Anyone concerned about their existing deck or swing set can coat it with an oil-based, penetrating stain every couple of years to make it safer," he explains.

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