3 ms·

Isn't the Southwest uniquely not harsh? The biggest enemy of most man-made structures is water.

by emodendroket 5y ago

jorts 5y ago
The sun is brutal on anything that isn’t metal.
- PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
  or rock ... or dirt ... or glass ...
  - yencabulator 5y ago
    And most of the rock in the Southwest US is sandstone which will fall apart if you look at it funny.
trompetenaccoun 5y ago
Depends on the material I'd say. Large temperature swings like common in the desert certainly don't help. Wind/sand abrasion could also be an issue. But in general you're right, desert climates can be good for preserving things. The only thing better would probably be a permanent ice cover.
- hosh 5y ago
  If they are under cover away from UV and heat, they can be well preserved. Modern material tend to degrade in Phoenix sun, and 110° and sometimes 120° summer days. Arizona will also get monsoons and flash floods.
silisili 5y ago
Same thought. Where I grew up...if water didn't kill it, tornados would. The only barns that stood the test of time were made from the now nearly extinct chestnut. They turn grey and get knotty and twisty as they age but are nearly indestructible. Everything else rots away in the humidity. One rather interesting memory...I remember my father rebuilding an old barnish structure with railroad ties for the frame. Apparently they soak those suckers in tar...out in the sun each day they'd start sweating some black tar stuff again that's nearly impossible to get off your hands. Those haven't aged a day in 20ish years. Makes me curious why more structural wood isn't treated this way.
- geeio 5y ago
  Pressure treated wood is kinda like that (it uses something other than tar). [1]: https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/types-of-pressure-treated-wood/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9052c50759 https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/types-of-pressure-treated-woo...
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Mostly because it is quite polluting if it gets into the groundwater or in your well.
  - silisili 5y ago
    So I had some experience similar to this with an awful substance called cosmoline. Russians used it to store old guns, and they did the same thing really by sweating some chemical every time they heat up. After some reading and thinking, I decided just to bake the thing at 250. It sweated tons of that awful red jelly out, then never again. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not for polluting the groundwater, but seems it can be mitigated with proper heat treating prior.
    - jacquesm 5y ago
      That probably won't work for railroad ties because they are usually in/on the ground and without that tar the bugs would eat them in a few years.
      - silisili 5y ago
        Well, the idea is to just heat them past any temperature they'd experience naturally such that they don't bleed anymore. The wood itself would still be saturated in awful chemicals. For railroad ties specifically, I imagine it would be deemed way too much cost. But for say, house framing lumber... guaranteed termite free forever, I think people would pay for it.
        iSnow 5y ago

Isn't the Southwest uniquely not harsh? The biggest enemy of most man-made structures is water.

jorts 5y ago

The sun is brutal on anything that isn’t metal.

PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
or rock ... or dirt ... or glass ...
- yencabulator 5y ago
  And most of the rock in the Southwest US is sandstone which will fall apart if you look at it funny.

trompetenaccoun 5y ago

Depends on the material I'd say. Large temperature swings like common in the desert certainly don't help. Wind/sand abrasion could also be an issue. But in general you're right, desert climates can be good for preserving things. The only thing better would probably be a permanent ice cover.

hosh 5y ago
If they are under cover away from UV and heat, they can be well preserved. Modern material tend to degrade in Phoenix sun, and 110° and sometimes 120° summer days. Arizona will also get monsoons and flash floods.

silisili 5y ago

Same thought. Where I grew up...if water didn't kill it, tornados would. The only barns that stood the test of time were made from the now nearly extinct chestnut. They turn grey and get knotty and twisty as they age but are nearly indestructible. Everything else rots away in the humidity. One rather interesting memory...I remember my father rebuilding an old barnish structure with railroad ties for the frame. Apparently they soak those suckers in tar...out in the sun each day they'd start sweating some black tar stuff again that's nearly impossible to get off your hands. Those haven't aged a day in 20ish years. Makes me curious why more structural wood isn't treated this way.

geeio 5y ago
Pressure treated wood is kinda like that (it uses something other than tar). [1]: https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/types-of-pressure-treated-wood/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9052c50759 https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/types-of-pressure-treated-woo...
jacquesm 5y ago
Mostly because it is quite polluting if it gets into the groundwater or in your well.
- silisili 5y ago
  So I had some experience similar to this with an awful substance called cosmoline. Russians used it to store old guns, and they did the same thing really by sweating some chemical every time they heat up. After some reading and thinking, I decided just to bake the thing at 250. It sweated tons of that awful red jelly out, then never again. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not for polluting the groundwater, but seems it can be mitigated with proper heat treating prior.
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    That probably won't work for railroad ties because they are usually in/on the ground and without that tar the bugs would eat them in a few years.
    - silisili 5y ago
      Well, the idea is to just heat them past any temperature they'd experience naturally such that they don't bleed anymore. The wood itself would still be saturated in awful chemicals. For railroad ties specifically, I imagine it would be deemed way too much cost. But for say, house framing lumber... guaranteed termite free forever, I think people would pay for it.
      - iSnow 5y ago