Found out treated pine posts have a 15 year lifespan max in Ohio clay soil

I always figured treated lumber would last 20 plus years no matter what. Then I read a study from Ohio State's extension office that showed most pine posts start rotting at the ground line after 12 years in our clay soil. Really made me rethink using cedar instead on my last big job near Cincinnati. Anyone else run into this with their local soil types?

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nina_harris394mo ago

Oh man, don't get me started on that Ohio clay. I thought I was being smart putting in a whole new fence line with treated pine three years ago, and now I'm just waiting for the countdown to start. I feel like I'm watching a slow motion car crash every time it rains and I see the water pooling around the base of those posts. My husband keeps asking why I'm constantly out there with a shovel checking for soft spots, and I just mumble something about "research purposes." Really though, I should have known better because absolutely nothing survives in this clay except for regret and dandelions. My next project I'm going with steel posts just so I can die of old age before they rot out on me.

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finleycooper4mo ago

Didn't that study just completely flip what you thought you knew about treated lumber holding up in clay?

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