I have read that chlorophenols (or at least KP Cuprinol?) were banned in 1978. What about sills from houses built after this, in the period after it was banned but before better insulating of the base plate/moisture barrier between the plate and sill was implemented? Are there fewer problems with sills from the 80s than from the 70s due to less toxic substances or how does it work?
Yes, I understand that it's bad if it's water-damaged. But what is it treated with after KP Cuprinol was banned? Do the newer substances cause odor problems in the same way as the older ones?Jonatan79 said:
After that, untreated was used (after a while.......), which then means smell from mold instead (/also).K kallekarwe said:
M maja.andersson27189 said:
Thanks for the response! Hmm. What is best, then? Poison or poison-free but with a greater risk (?) of mold?
What is used for consumer trade today is just copper sulfate and has no smell. In the meantime, there was available impregnated timber with CCA impregnation (Chromium Copper Arsenic). But even if it's a bit after 1978, one can't rule out that someone has saved a stockpile of wood or curinol and used it later. But this thing with pressure-treated wood is persistent. People still believe that you will drop dead if a plank is used indoors (which is unnecessary, but hardly risky anymore) https://www.tidningenbyggmaterial.s...t-miljopaverkan-bland-motsvarande-alternativ/
Haha no, I get that! But when you read here on the forum, you get the impression that it IS (or will be) damp with wooden sill on an uninsulated slab? Moisture migration from the ground through the concrete, etc. But maybe that's catastrophic thinking? If the houses have stood for 40 years and are still dry, maybe it's quite fine?T TheGame said:Non-toxic of course.
It shouldn't be damp
Thanks! Yes, well, it's not the pressure impregnation itself that's the problem but the substances that were used, if I understood correctly. Do you have any idea how common it was to build with old wood around the early 80s? How worried should one be about KP Cuprinol in houses from say 79-83?M MagHam said:
No idea actually. I was just reasoning logically that just because something was banned on a certain date didn't mean the stocks of wood disappeared overnight.K kallekarwe said:
If you want to be sure, analysis is the way to go.
Yes, that seems reasonable! It's a pity that "I like the house, but I want to do a test drill and send material from your beams for analysis first" doesn't go down particularly well in today's fast-paced bidding wars.M MagHam said:
That's kind of how it is. An uninsulated concrete slab is exposed to 100% moisture, and this moisture migrates through the slab up to the plates. In wood. That stands directly on it. But it's nothing that's impossible to fix. I've personally, quite deliberately, bought two houses with this type of slab, but also budgeted for replacing the sole plates and installing ventilation flooring. The problem is rather when you buy a house with this type of construction without accounting for needing to take measures - but then feel the need to take action due to odors, for example, and then feel upset because it's quite costly to address, yet you're the person who has to do it (not the insurance, not the former owner)...K kallekarwe said:
Of course, there doesn't have to be issues with the slab-on-grade construction and sill plates. It depends on drainage and runoff, for instance...
If you buy a house where moisture measurement doesn't show any issues, it's likely true. If the house has stood for 45 years and never had a problem, it's unlikely that one will suddenly appear unless you or someone else does something that affects the surface water.
I myself live in an area with houses, all built between '76 and '78. Slab-on-grade + sill plates. Some have replaced sill plates, and others have not. No one has encountered major problems, but sure, there can be moisture in some sill plates. My personal experience is that where people have had flower beds or shrubs next to the house for 45 years, there may be moisture in the sill plate. In most cases, there isn't.
But we also have good drainage (a lot of gravel under the slab, I know because I had to dig up an electric cable last year...) and the houses are on a slope, so the water drains away well. This reduces the risk of problems.
If you buy a house where moisture measurement doesn't show any issues, it's likely true. If the house has stood for 45 years and never had a problem, it's unlikely that one will suddenly appear unless you or someone else does something that affects the surface water.
I myself live in an area with houses, all built between '76 and '78. Slab-on-grade + sill plates. Some have replaced sill plates, and others have not. No one has encountered major problems, but sure, there can be moisture in some sill plates. My personal experience is that where people have had flower beds or shrubs next to the house for 45 years, there may be moisture in the sill plate. In most cases, there isn't.
But we also have good drainage (a lot of gravel under the slab, I know because I had to dig up an electric cable last year...) and the houses are on a slope, so the water drains away well. This reduces the risk of problems.