Discovered fresh pressure-treated wood in part of the sill, should I remove it?
The situation is such that I have repaired the sill in some areas. It's strange, I think - in some places completely rotten and extremely insect-damaged, and then just a meter away completely healthy. There's burlap paper between the sill and the foundation wall.
On the south short side, the ground slopes slightly towards the house, and it's quite damp on the ground in the crawl space. It's close to rock all the way. There's a glazed patio outside on that side. At some point, probably the 1970s but maybe later, part of the sill was replaced with pressure-treated wood, about 2 meters. This is, as you understand, completely taboo today. (The rest of the sill is untreated wood).
But. The pressure-treated wood is in perfect condition. And it's the only part resting on proper, thick sill paper instead of thin burlap paper. I can see the side and a bit of the cross-section of it, and it looks completely unaffected. It doesn't smell peculiar. The crawl space just smelled like a crawl space (earth cellar scent, with a touch of rotting wood) when I bought the place. It had been unheated for a few months.
It has rained like crazy in the past few days (welcome to Borås), and the ground in the crawl space has two dark streaks running through it from gable to gable, I assume it's like two small valleys in the rock. One of the places is right under this pressure-treated sill. I measured the moisture content in both the pressure-treated piece and the surrounding sill, getting 14-15% in the pressure-treated part and 14-17% in the rest. I also plan to cover and insulate the ground in the crawl space after I've cleared out debris and dug away as much soil as I can, planning to drain the outside in the coming years.
What does Byggahus say, tear out and replace or let it stay? I have to admit I'm leaning towards letting it stay; it didn't smell, and it's been there for at least 10 years, and due to how the foundation wall and floor joists are positioned, it's a real nightmare to replace parts of the sill.
On the south short side, the ground slopes slightly towards the house, and it's quite damp on the ground in the crawl space. It's close to rock all the way. There's a glazed patio outside on that side. At some point, probably the 1970s but maybe later, part of the sill was replaced with pressure-treated wood, about 2 meters. This is, as you understand, completely taboo today. (The rest of the sill is untreated wood).
But. The pressure-treated wood is in perfect condition. And it's the only part resting on proper, thick sill paper instead of thin burlap paper. I can see the side and a bit of the cross-section of it, and it looks completely unaffected. It doesn't smell peculiar. The crawl space just smelled like a crawl space (earth cellar scent, with a touch of rotting wood) when I bought the place. It had been unheated for a few months.
It has rained like crazy in the past few days (welcome to Borås), and the ground in the crawl space has two dark streaks running through it from gable to gable, I assume it's like two small valleys in the rock. One of the places is right under this pressure-treated sill. I measured the moisture content in both the pressure-treated piece and the surrounding sill, getting 14-15% in the pressure-treated part and 14-17% in the rest. I also plan to cover and insulate the ground in the crawl space after I've cleared out debris and dug away as much soil as I can, planning to drain the outside in the coming years.
What does Byggahus say, tear out and replace or let it stay? I have to admit I'm leaning towards letting it stay; it didn't smell, and it's been there for at least 10 years, and due to how the foundation wall and floor joists are positioned, it's a real nightmare to replace parts of the sill.
The experiences suggest that you should remove the pressure-treated timber. Even if you cover with plastic and insulate the ground in the foundation, the Rf will be at levels over 75% (critical condition) during parts of the year. This means that problems may arise in the future, even if they are not present now.
Eh, that was exactly what I didn't want to hearS Slitvarg said:
If the printed material is newer than from '78, it's not impregnated with xxx, which makes it smell like skunk if it stays wet for a long time.
14-15% is perfectly fine for a sill.
Plus, proper thick sill paper that insulates from moisture in the wall. + ground insulation, which will reduce moisture in the foundation.
I would leave it as it is. There's no reason to paint the devil on the wall.
It's no worse than doing the job if it ever starts to smell in the future.
14-15% is perfectly fine for a sill.
Plus, proper thick sill paper that insulates from moisture in the wall. + ground insulation, which will reduce moisture in the foundation.
I would leave it as it is. There's no reason to paint the devil on the wall.
It's no worse than doing the job if it ever starts to smell in the future.
Yes. I left it in place, it appears to be the new kind which is more pale green and even in color, not like the old printed timber which almost looked more painted and towards the turquoise side. Everything is gathered in one and the same place, which is the short side covered by a glazed patio. In that patio, the sills will need to be replaced eventually anyway, so if there is anything, I can replace these printed pieces from the outside, which I believe is much easier than from the inside.Oldboy said:
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· Västra Götaland
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Sounds like you have a good plan for the foundation. Let it sit until a problem arises.