Got some timbers on the property from the neighbor who must have put them down sometime in the 70's. All of them are 4x4's. A number of them are shot - dry rotted to dust. Some might be ok, but if I have to dispose of them, should I consider them to be PT?
Difference is where I take them for disposal. The green side of the local dump charges $7 for a load of good green material, the landfill side charges by the load, which would be higher.
Is there any test for see if the wood is PT?
MJ
The only "home test" I know of is the taste test... Arsenic poisoning causes a metallic taste in the mouth, excessive saliva production and problems swallowing. If you experience these symptoms it's probably PT wood. ;~)
Then again, and I'm sure other's opinions may vary, but if the wood is in the rotted condition you report above the organic compounds have probably leached out to the point of it being harmless. You can try cleaning the ones that are intact with detergent, Simple Green, and a stiff scrub brush and see what the wood looks like. I've taken old weathered and dirty PT 4x4s and cleaned them in this manner and they looked like new PT... green and all. Decide from there which side of the dump to try.
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