Well anti-termites really. Today was about installing and renewing the chemical stick termite treatment into Muckleford Creek Bridge.
It’s quite a simple process, whereby a few small holes are drilled into each pile, as many sticks as can be shoved down the hole are and a plastic plug is installed to keep them dry and in place.
The chemical rods, are just a formulated mix of boron and fluoride, which as moisture is absorbed by the pile, causes the rods to slowly dissolve and permeate into the wood, making it very undesirable to termites and fungal growths.
They only need renewing about every 10-15 years. It’s a very cheap insurance policy to keep the bridges in good condition, as termite damage can quickly destroy enough of a bridge to make it unusable.
Tomorrow will be a bit more of the same, as there’s 5 other bridges that are due the same treatment! Meeting at Maldon at 8am.
VGR Civil Blog 