Outdoor Shower - How to seal old bridge sleeper

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I was wondering what people here, given its a woodworkers forum, thought about sealing the cracks in the above post.

Helpful folk elsewhere have suggested to me to pour beeswax into the cracks, or jamb newspaper into the splits around the sides, tape it up and slowly dribble mineral based decking oil in there and allow it to soak in?

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f187/outdoor-wood-slab-shower-project-216739?highlight=outdoor+shower

see the above members post on an outdoor shower, I am wondering how far out is the reach? what size is the copper piping? to support such a reach I was thinking 25mm?

If you're after a long-term 'fix' I'd pull it down and stow it somewhere dry for a few months to ensure ALL of the moisture dries out of the cracks.

Then fill them with a 2-part epoxy. You'd also need to clean out the cracks where the epoxy would make contact as best you could, to get a good seal. Any rotten or punky material left would just be a shortcut for moisture around the epoxy and into the heart where it'd start rotting again.

Looks like a round post, so you'd need to epoxy fill 'em one or two at a time, waiting for each set to cure before rolling the post and doing the next. Otherwise you'd get spillage & dribbles which'd be difficult to clean up.

You shouldn't need to fill the voids all the way into the heart, but you do want the outermost cm or two to be sealed well to the timber.

You'll also want to make a cap for the top of the post so water doesn't get back into the end-grain. Depending on the look you're after, perhaps beaten copper flashing or an old galv bucket turned upside down would do the job.

As for the piping, in the post you linked to it looks like 1/2"

1/2" hard-drawn copper would do the job nicely and take a beating (eg. should someone drop a push-bike against the piping) but has the disadvantage of being difficult to bend. ie. straight runs only and would need to be cut, with the bends (extra fittings) soldered in place.

1/2" soft-drawn should do the job for a small span, with the benefit of being able to bend it easily. But it doesn't take well to hard knocks. perhaps you could rout one of the splits in the post down for most of the length and conceal the pipe in there before epoxy filling?

Sorry to say, any way I look at it, that post is really not the best choice for this application. Not unless you're willing to put a quite bit of hard work and expense into making it work.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

If you're after a long-term 'fix' I'd pull it down and stow it somewhere dry for a few months to ensure ALL of the moisture dries out of the cracks.

Then fill them with a 2-part epoxy. You'd also need to clean out the cracks where the epoxy would make contact as best you could, to get a good seal. Any rotten or punky material left would just be a shortcut for moisture around the epoxy and into the heart where it'd start rotting again.

Looks like a round post, so you'd need to epoxy fill 'em one or two at a time, waiting for each set to cure before rolling the post and doing the next. Otherwise you'd get spillage & dribbles which'd be difficult to clean up.

You shouldn't need to fill the voids all the way into the heart, but you do want the outermost cm or two to be sealed well to the timber.

You'll also want to make a cap for the top of the post so water doesn't get back into the end-grain. Depending on the look you're after, perhaps beaten copper flashing or an old galv bucket turned upside down would do the job.

As for the piping, in the post you linked to it looks like 1/2"

1/2" hard-drawn copper would do the job nicely and take a beating (eg. should someone drop a push-bike against the piping) but has the disadvantage of being difficult to bend. ie. straight runs only and would need to be cut, with the bends (extra fittings) soldered in place.

1/2" soft-drawn should do the job for a small span, with the benefit of being able to bend it easily. But it doesn't take well to hard knocks. perhaps you could rout one of the splits in the post down for most of the length and conceal the pipe in there before epoxy filling?

Sorry to say, any way I look at it, that post is really not the best choice for this application. Not unless you're willing to put a quite bit of hard work and expense into making it work.

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Hi thanks , can you recommend the brand and model of 2 part expoxy?

I am going to leave the sleeper as is, if it all breaks apart over time so be it, I just re use the copper on a new post

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the shower will be hard drawn copper, hopefully like the above

Attachment 465337

Dimensions

1
FFL to underside of shower rose/head 2000 - 2100 ? - i realise higher is recommended for the rain drop effect but I am not sure I want that, more a hotter stronger stream, I just like the effect of the shower outside.

2
Shower arm length : 450?

3
Height of taps from the ground: 1000-1200?

4
Height of a foot tap from the ground: ??