CCA-PEG Plus Poles are pressure treated with a unique patented preservative/ additive formulation using Timber Specialties K-33^® CCA-C wood preservative and Union Carbide Carbowax^® PEG Plus that results in utility poles that are clean, climbable, safe and environmentally responsible.

Top Quality Treatment

CCA-PEG Plus^TM Poles are treated according to Canadian Standards Association CAN/CSA O80.4-M89, Preservative Treatment of Poles by Pressure Process. Fastidious material management ensures that raw pole stock is of prime quality and in ready condition to treat. After treating, rigorous testing of every charge of poles verifies that preservative penetration and retention levels have been achieved. Quality control is also monitored by a third-party inspection program.

Proven Longevity

Wood utility poles treated with formulations of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) have been used successfully by telephone and power companies for more than 50 years. Tests conducted on CCA poles put in service in 1940 showed no decay-related failures 35 years later. On-going field and service tests indicate that poles properly treated with today's improved oxide formulations of CCA can be expected to last 40 years and more. This proven ability of CCA treated poles to provide decades of reliable service gives CCA-PEG Plus^TM Poles a major economic advantage when initial costs are weighed against an expected longevity of more than 40 years with little or no remedial in-service treatment required.

Clean Surface

Poles marketed under the name of CCA-PEG Plus^TM are pressure treated with Timber Specialties K-33^®, a high purity oxide CCA-C preservative. By minimizing the impurities in the water-based preservative solution and using a high-quality treatment process, surface film or residue on treated poles is eliminated. CCA-PEG Plus^TM Poles are clean to handle, non-oily and have no offensive odour.

Highly Leach-Resistant

During pressure treatment, CCA preservative undergoes a chemical reaction with the wood through which the preservative becomes bonded or "fixed" to the wood cells. After treatment, CCA-PEG Plus^TM Poles undergo a further processing with heat and steam in a separate conditioning chamber to ensure that these reactions are complete, transforming the CCA chemicals into highly insoluble and leach-resistant forms. This accelerated process has been shown to result in more consistently high levels of fixation than possible by passive air drying. The processing of CCA-PEG Plus^TM Poles effectively minimizes leaching or migration of the wood preservative.

Low Electrical Conductivity

Testing by utility corporations around the world has shown that poles treated with oxide formulations of CCA preservatives show no significant difference in electrical conductivity when compared to untreated wood of similar moisture content.

Low Combustibility

The combustion of a CCA-PEG Plus^TM Pole is a slow glow which can be extinguished easily with a thorough dousing of water. A CCA-PEG Plus^TM Pole will not catch fire easily, nor will flame spread more rapidly than with untreated wood.

High Corrosion Resistance

The stable metallic oxides used in Timber Specialties K-33^® CCA-C preservative minimize the potential for corroding fasteners. The addition of Carbowax^® PEG Plus to CCA may alter the visual appearance of aluminum and mild steel attachments, but no weight is lost from the metals; PEG Plus in CCA does not alter the corrosivity to galvanized steel or copper hardware.

Low Maintenance

The complex chemical reaction during pressure impregnation of properly processed material results in the formation of insoluble chromates of copper and arsenic in the wood, making it highly resistant to rot, decay and termite attack. CCA-PEG Plus^TM Poles can be expected to provide decades of service with little maintenance.

Safety in Service

CCA-PEG is the only preservative/additive system that is approved for consumer use (CSA 080 Standards). CCA-PEG Plus^TM Poles are not regulated under the Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS). To date, more than 200,000 wood poles treated with the CCA-PEG preservative/additive combination have been installed throughout Eastern Canada. Field acceptance grows steadily as line persons work with these poles on a regular basis and, through safety seminars, learn more about the positive health, safety and environmental features.

Improved Climbability

Carbowax^® PEG, was introduced as an additive in Timber Specialties K-33^® CCA-C pressure treating in 1986, to overcome the increased hardness associated with CCA treated wood poles. Carbowax^® PEG is manufactured by Union Carbide Corporation, the largest producer of PEG in the world.

Because PEG is wholly organic, greaseless, tasteless, odourless, biodegradable and low in both environmental impact and toxicity, it is used widely in its various forms in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agricultural products and many industrial applications.

In CCA treated wood poles, PEG acts to counteract hardness by compensating for moisture loss from the wood, with two important results. First, PEG helps maintain the dimensional stability of the wood and reduces its tendency to check as it dries. Secondly, PEG helps produce an easily climbable pole by minimizing any increase in the compactness of the wood as it dries, allowing for ample penetration of a climber's gaff. In-service inspections have shown that after three to five years, wood poles treated with the CCA-PEG preservative/additive have maintained a "good" climbability rating.