# How long do pressure treated posts last in Manitoba, Canada?



## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

A long long time.....couldn't give you an exact length of time, but I can say you needn't worry about them rotting away in this lifetime


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Muppetgirl said:


> A long long time.....couldn't give you an exact length of time, but I can say you needn't worry about them rotting away in this lifetime


Thanks That is great. does the same go for 3in posts? thanks again!


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

horsecrazygirl13 said:


> Thanks That is great. does the same go for 3in posts? thanks again!


As long as they're treated:wink:

Kinda sad thinking they can make a piece of wood last longer than me.....maybe I should go get tanalized too:shock:


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

For untreated posts, it really depends on the ground conditions. Wet is hard on them. In our pasture, we have had to replace wooden fence posts (untreated) at around 20 years - they will be weathered on top and rotten on the bottom where they've been in the ground. The pressure treated ones are still going strong - regardless of size, they don't show weathering as much and resist rotting in the ground.


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## CCH (Jan 23, 2011)

Our fence is 8in diameter pressure treated posts with tapered ends so that they could be pounded directly with a post pounder. We put it all in ourselves 13 years ago. There are more posts than I can remember as we have almost 15 acres fenced with post & rail. The rest is posts and electrobraid (a crap product - but that's another tale) We have had to replace about 6 posts. 2 from bobcat "incidents", 2 that split from what I assume are weather conditions getting into an existing split/knot in the wood, 2 posts broke of horizontally at ground level. I have no idea how those 2 broke.

There are two types of pressure treated, regular which can contain arsenic and other poisons and "animal safe" I do not know how they treat the animal safe type. We have just regular.

If you can get them and let them sit for a long as possible to continue drying, that would be good. Our posts didn't seem to shrink noticeably, but some of the rails have shrunk an inch or more each.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

CCH said:


> Our fence is 8in diameter pressure treated posts with tapered ends so that they could be pounded directly with a post pounder. We put it all in ourselves 13 years ago. There are more posts than I can remember as we have almost 15 acres fenced with post & rail. The rest is posts and electrobraid (a crap product - but that's another tale) We have had to replace about 6 posts. 2 from bobcat "incidents", 2 that split from what I assume are weather conditions getting into an existing split/knot in the wood, 2 posts broke of horizontally at ground level. I have no idea how those 2 broke.
> 
> There are two types of pressure treated, regular which can contain arsenic and other poisons and "animal safe" I do not know how they treat the animal safe type. We have just regular.
> 
> ...


 Why's electrobraid crap? I thought it was pretty good. I was even considering putting it up.


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## CCH (Jan 23, 2011)

We purchased their heavy duty cold weather insulators and installed the fence to specifications with a slight exception, we placed the posts 15ft apart which is much closer than their 25-50ft recommendation. This is all on the backside of a summer pasture which is used from April to October-ish. The horses in it are very respectful of the fence and have not tested it. In fact, it was only electrified for the first month and we haven't hooked a charger to it since.

Within 1 season, numerous insulators had broken this has been the largest and most costly annoyance. Especially the roller insulators, the center lin will warp lopping the whole thing out. I have to do something to fix this fence every year. Tensioning it is a complete pain. The snow bends it, a couple fat lazy deer have broken it. For the total cost, we could have done all continuous post and rail that would be much much less maintenance. If I were to turn it on, I would also have to mow underneath the bottom strand a couple times per year (that strand is 18in off the ground) which is not necessary with wood.

Some people love it. They did contact us twice about writing a success note for them and we declined. They have no answer for why the insulators break and have done nothing to repair/replace the product.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If not treated pine, spruce and poplar will give you maybe 5 years. They rot at the soil line. Tamarack is full of pitch and will last much longer, same with cedar and oak. Ribbon puts terrific strain on the insulators when it's windy. Eventually the ribbon will shred as it moves across the insulator. Perimeter fencing should always be heavy guage wire. With strong well built corners one can save money going with lighter line posts. 90* corners are the strongest. Don't skimp on them and the bracing or they will start leaning inward.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

In Texas, the lifespan of a fence is only 15 years. Of course, few get replaced at that life's end. In Canada, I would think the treated life would be a lot longer.


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