The lifespan of wood products depends on many factors. The tree is destroyed under the influence of an aggressive external environment, for example, when interacting with water or soil. Often the cause of damage to wood is harmful insects. Several methods are used to protect wooden products, differing from each other in effectiveness.
Principles of protecting wood from destruction
At least a quarter of all wood consumed in everyday life and in production is used to repair wood products or replace them completely. Most often, you have to deal with rotting, which completely or partially destroys the structure of the material. To prevent damage to wood and slow down the decay process, it is necessary to observe the rules for storing products, maintain an optimal temperature regime and monitor the humidity of the air.
From a practical point of view, it is most effective to create such a mode of using wooden products, in which the moisture content of the material will not exceed 14-15%. But in real conditions, it is quite difficult to select and maintain the necessary conditions for the storage and operation of wood. Therefore, to protect wood from destruction, drying and treatment with antiseptics are used, which increase the biological stability of the material.
Drying wood
Distinguish between artificial and natural wood drying. The first type of processing is carried out in special drying chambers, injecting hot air, gas, steam or passing high-frequency currents there. The wood drying chamber can be designed for both continuous and intermittent operation. The heated air or steam circulates in the device many times, which ensures high-quality drying of the material and even protection from insects.
Natural drying of wood is carried out outdoors, indoors or under a canopy. The disadvantage of this method is that it takes a long time - several weeks or even months. Usually, natural drying is used when there is a small amount of work with wood, and the timing of its preparation for use is not particularly important.
All other things being equal, artificial drying is preferable to natural drying.
How to protect wood from decay
Wood rot can be prevented in one of several constructive ways. For this, the products are isolated from moisture and soil, and special ventilation channels are arranged. But such methods do not always give the desired effect, since it is not possible to completely get rid of the moisture of the tree.
Chemical treatment of wood comes to the rescue. In construction and in everyday life, various kinds of antiseptics are widely used. These substances are produced both in the form of aqueous solutions and in the form of pastes. The main requirement for antiseptics used for finishing wooden products used in the construction of residential premises is to be harmless to people and pets.
Oily antiseptics should not be used inside residential buildings, although they are most effective. These compounds have a very pungent odor.
Means for protecting wood from insects
Various insects, which can also destroy wood, also cause a lot of trouble. We are talking about grinder beetles, bark beetles, barbel beetles. They bite into the layers of wood and create passages and furrows in them, and the depth of the lesion can be very significant.
Wood products eaten by insects are not suitable for the construction of load-bearing structures.
To combat such pests directly in the warehouses where the wood is stored, strict adherence to sanitary standards and periodic fumigation are used. Insecticides are also used to eliminate insects, for example, chlorophos, which can be applied by impregnation or spraying. In residential areas, it is recommended to treat wood with an aqueous solution of sodium fluoride to protect it from pests.
