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VOL 2 | MARCH 2012

Technical Talk is an opt-in, technical publication from American Polywater Corporation issued on an irregular basis. Technical Talk presents original product and applications research in the general area of electrical and utility construction.




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LEFT: The Enemy - Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

MIDDLE: Woodpecker Damage
RIGHT: Wood Pole Damage


Polywater
® UPR Utility Pole Repair

Improve Electrical Reliability

Why should woodpecker holes in wooden utility poles be repaired?  Woodpecker holes allow moisture to penetrate the wood, causing the pole to rot. If left untreated, poles weaken in the area of rot, causing structural instability, potentially resulting in outages and safety concerns.  Damage must be repaired as soon as possible to halt further decay and save on costly change outs.

With the proper sealant and application techniques, repairs can extend pole life and dramatically reduce replacement costs.  Proper repair is the low-cost alternative.  Nevertheless, frustrated electric utilities often replace woodpecker-damaged poles rather than repair them.  Reasons include:

   • Repairs require expensive, specialty tools
   • Repairs are difficult and labor intensive
   • Safety concerns for the high-temp chemical reactions of some
     repair products
   • The need to find or make filler materials
   • Wasted product when purchasing more repair product
     than needed




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New Polywater® UPR simplifies the repair of wooden utility poles damaged by woodpeckers.  
UPR™ Pole Repair is specially formulated to expand in the pole cavity, rather than just filling it.  Because UPR™ expands in the hole, it fills irregularly shaped cavities for better integration with the wood.  This creates superior wood grain adhesion compared to other non-expanding products.  Polywater
® UPR™ Pole Repair hardens much like wood, so it is gaffable and won’t chip out in chunks when climber’s hooks are embedded into its surface structure.

• No special deployment tools needed – less
   expensive, more convenient
• No drilling to deploy the product – less labor time
• No mixing or direct handling of the product – less
   mess and safer
• Kits include green-treated wood blocks to fill cavity
   space – less product needed
• Purchase a single kit that will repair one hole –
   less waste

UPR Single Kit Contents

Easy Repair Procedure
Polywater® Utility Pole Repair is packaged in kit form.  Everything needed to repair damage to wood poles caused by woodpeckers is included.

The two-part formula mixes in the nozzle rather than via hand mixing, allowing for multiple applications and making it easier to direct the product into the hole when deployed.  UPR’s curing temperature is not dangerously hot, as are some other repair products, yet may be warm enough to reduce pole decay.

To fix one "football" sized hole approximately 13" deep by 5" diameter (33 cm x 13 cm), order the single kit to save money!  For multiple holes, transmission line jobs, or to receive volume pricing discounts, order the bulk kit. Each cartridge will fill approximately 50 cubic inches.

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Product Installation Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpf2RPJvW90&feature=youtu.be


Polywater® UPR Product Packaging

The catalog #UPR-PRKIT3 contains 3 UPR™ Pole Repair cartridges, 4 mixing nozzles, 5 green-treated wood blocks, 1 roll of stretch wrap, 1 pair of gloves, and instructions.  This kit will repair a single “football” sized cavity.

The catalog #UPR-PRKIT12 contains 12 UPR™ Pole Repair cartridges, 16 mixing nozzles, 18 green-treated wood blocks, 1 roll of stretch wrap, 4 pairs of gloves, and instructions. This is the kit choice for volume pricing and multiple repairs.

OSHA Requirements
According to OSHA 1910.269 App D, poles should be inspected and tested before climbing.  The standard notes that “hollow spots and woodpecker holes can reduce the strength of the wood pole.”  This may make the pole unsafe to climb.  

When should a pole be treated and repaired rather than replaced?  A pole’s strength resides in the outer two inches of the pole.  The repair versus replacement determination is based on the size of the hole and the total circumference the woodpecker hole has compromised.  If the hole is too large, replacement is required.  Contact the pole manufacturer for specific change-out guidelines.  Another determining factor is the quality of the repair product used.

Expanding Foam
Polywater’s UPR™ Pole Repair expands and cures quickly.  This expansion is a key property that sets it apart from most competitive products.  UPR™ expands and penetrates into deeper cavities to completely fill all parts of the void.  A special access port is not required for installation.  As an additional benefit, smaller packages can be used to fill the same volume compared to a non-expanding foam.  Non-expanding pole repairs produce a hard, resinous material that can create a stress point in the wood and be difficult to penetrate with a gaff during future utility work.  Polywater’s UPR™ Pole Repair produces a seal with a nice blend of strength and ease of use.



Deploying UPR

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Product Strength

UPR™ Pole Repair is designed to mimic a wood pole’s cross-sectional hardness.  It will flex with the pole during cantilever loading.  Compression strength of UPR™ Pole Repair was measured using ASTM D 1621, “Standard Test Method for Compressive Properties of Rigid Cellular Plastics”.

UPR™ Compression Strength: 1500 psi

UPR™ Pole Repair will restore much of the original strength to the wood pole.

Can a Pole Be Climbed After UPR™ is Used?


Foot Spike Test in UPR Pole Mold         Foot Spike Test in Wood Pole



Gaff Testing

The “Pole Cut Out Test”* was used as a guideline to test Polywater’s UPR™ Pole Repair.  In this test, the climber jabs the gaff into the pole at a 30° angle to a depth of 1/4" inch (.64 cm).  Pressure is exerted onto the gaff and the point of the gaff penetrates the wood.  The pole surface cut is measured, and shall be no more than 2 inches (5 cm).

*Buckingham Manufacturing Company, Inc. Buckingham Gaff & Climber Information; “How to Perform the Pole Cut Out Test”


UPR’s Gaff Testing Results

A 10-inch (25 cm) pole mold of the UPR™ Pole Repair was formed to simulate a short section of wood utility pole.  The gaff tester performed six trials of the Pole Cut Out Test.


Average gaff surface cut measured was 1 inch (2.54 cm) with results ranging
from 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch (1.27 cm to 3.81 cm).

 


UPR™ Pole Repair passes the Buckingham Pole Cut-Out Test parameters for a gaffing.  The Pole Cut-Out Test showed that UPR™ Pole Repair is gaffable.

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How Difficult is it to Gaff the Repaired Area?
It is important that the repair compound does not create a hard spot that is difficult to gaff.  Increase in the force required to gaff a repaired pole is a common lineman complaint.

Penetration Test
UPR™ Pole Repair was molded into a 7-inch (17.8 cm) cylinder.  A Buckingham gaff was used to penetrate the side of the form.  An Instron unit was set to 50 mm/minute to drive the gaff into the form to a depth of 0.475 inches (1.16 cm) and load force was measured.  An average of three tests was calculated:


Average penetration force is 270 lbf.


The penetration force on wood poles with various preservatives produced the following results:*

          Douglas Fir –         244 to 290 lbf
          Southern Yellow Pine –     232 to 475 lbf

The UPR™ Pole Repair falls within the same range as the wood poles and is relatively easy to penetrate.

* Shupe, Todd F. and Freeman, Mike H. (October, 2011) Effect of Preservative Type and Gaff Type on Gaff Penetration Into Wood Poles.  Eastern Utility Pole Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Will Moisture Be Absorbed By UPR™?
UPR™ Pole Repair does not absorb water, so it will not increase the chance of pole decay. It is good practice to use a fungicide prior to deploying any wood pole repair product to reduce or negate any growth that is present.

Moisture Repellency Testing
Six 1 1/2 inch (3.81 cm) cubes of reacted UPR™ were aged in water for 7 days at 122°F (50°C). Weight gain was measured.


UPR™ Pole Repair gained less than 1% water weight.


The UPR™ Pole Repair acts to seal the hole and protect the pole from further degradation.


Additional Information
For more information on how Polywater UPR™ Pole Repair can help your company save money and climb repaired poles with confidence, please visit our website at http://www.polywater.com/upr.asp

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American Polywater | 11222 60th ST N | Stillwater, MN 55082-9310 USA
1-(651) 430-2270 (Voice) | 1-(651) 430-3634 (Fax) | 1-(800) 328-9384 (Toll-Free US/Canada Only)
www.polywater.com | support@polywater.com

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