Rail road ties on outter part of pond

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Has anyone ever used rail road ties above ground to bild up the outter part of the pond & let the liner overlap them to help stop water run off from getting in their pond as i am starting a new pond build & want some good in put on this as i do know the krisote can kill your fish but as long as the liner covers the inside & the top of them do you all for see any problems with using them
Thanks Coolwind
 
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The interesting question is if you think it's toxic why would you put it into your yard? Wouldn't it get into the soil and poison that? People could touch it, etc.

If you're interested here's what Dr Kenneth Brooks has to say about creosote in water. I don't know you told you creosote kills fish but I'm guessing it was based on their gut and not science. You get a lot of that on the web.

To answer your question, no I haven't used it in pond building but have used pressure treated wood. I have used RR ties in the garden. And yes, stuff not in contact with water in the pond shouldn't effect the pond. Although I'm sure there are some people who will tell you the gases are toxic and must be some made up number of feet from the pond.
 

addy1

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I have used them in the garden, not around the pond. Had some really neat cow or horse chewed on ones. That is some tough wood, lasts for year.
I don't see why it be bad to use, the wood would have no contact with the pond water. There would be no run off as your edge is up above ground level.
 
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Coolwind,

Hi Greg. I have used RR ties for years at my cabin and at my parents cabin. I have a stack of 50 or 60 of them at my cabin that I use for all sorts of projects. I constructed a stairway using 32 - 34 old RR ties built right into the river bank. When it was first completed, if it rained really heavy, you could see a very light sheen on the water surface (like you would from a couple drops of motor oil). But, after 20 years, this has all leached away and rubbed off.

You probably have some very old, used RR ties at your disposal or can get them from a garden center for landscaping. These ties, if they are truly RR ties, were probably used for many years and most of the creosote on and near the very surface has also been washed out or rubbed off by time and the elements. You won't see much effect around your pond from them. Although, I certainly wouldn't put them actually in a pond or allow the water that runs over them to enter the pond. I doubt that it would affect the fish in any way, but there may still be enough creosote and other contaminants to make the surface of your pond have that oil sheen which may be displeasing for aesthetics. Then again, it might look kinda pretty. Mosquitos and their larvae wouldn't like it, that's for certain.

Since your intention is to place them under the liner, I see no problem what-so-ever with using them. I wouldn't use brand new RR ties, though. Those would leach out the creosote and other compounds quite a bit and they will smell really awful when it is hot outside. They can also burn your skin quite a bit. Freshly creosoted ties are quite nasty to work with and you need gloves and a long-sleeved shirt. Speaking of burning, they also burn... as in "rip-roaring, flaming fire burn" if they ever ignite. If they do catch fire, they are extremely difficult to put out! But that's the brand new ties that the RR uses, not landscaping ties. The very old and weathered RR ties for landscaping are more like regular wood in regards to fire.

Gordy
 

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Do you know that some railroad ties are considered a big no no if you are going to sell your house .The mortgage companies want them removed .Had a neighbor here that had to dispose of them before the contract would go through .The bank appraiser saw them and made a report on them that included pics that were given to the homeowner and she had a hard time even getting rid of them .They seem to be a big thing to the banks just like lead paint is .If the family has children and pets I guess the bank has a right to say no to any mortgage for a lot of reasons ,including protecting there assets they are loaning out .I can't blame them and they are really hard to get rid of and she also had to pay a lot out to have them taken out and the disposal fee was not cheap either and then she had to put up a replacement retaining wall system .
 
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That is a very good point, Sissy. I think if they were covered up completely (hidden from direct view) and the pond was staying with the house, that in this case, they wouldn't know about them and wouldn't say anything. But, good to keep those notions always in the back of your mind, so that you don't get blind-sided by them.

Gordy
 
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I've also heard mortgage companies won't lend for a home that has a pond, certain kinds of plants, certain roof material, etc. And I've heard the same about insurance companies not wanting to write policies. I've never personally experienced that. I've been lucky and never even had a buyer's mortgage company inspect a home I was selling beyond driving by and making sure the home existed. Once when refinancing the mortgage company sent out an inspector but he was only interested in measuring square footage. I've never had friends or family experience tell me they had a problem. It always seems to be a friend of friend said they heard someone once read someplace that someone...
 

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I know from the sale of my house in NJ the bank sent by the mortgage company and also the buyers wanted a home inspection .I paid for a home inspection myself before I put the house up for sale so there would be no surprises and both inspections turned up nothing and the bank appraiser thought the house was worth more than I was selling it for .Also in NJ before you put your house up for sale you have to have a smoke and carbon dioxide inspection and that is all done by the fire department .When it went back up for sale again a year ago it sold for 50 thousand more than I sold it for
 
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I have never personally run into any sort of situation myself during my purchase (or renting out or selling) any home. But, without carrying on too long about that topic, it is always wise to check out every detail before you ever do anything. I know that Waterbug agrees with me on this, especially regarding permits for electrical work. That notion applies to all sorts of home improvements.

It disgusts me to think about it, but when the government gets so involved that buying a new set of bedding requires a permit because it is considered a "home improvement", that is going too far. I know that that is a facecious example, but it often seems like it is getting that extreme. The government should just step out of the picture on some of these items. They don't know what they are doing anyway. I am all for safety and protecting the buyer/seller/renter etc. But, the governement can go overboard, and sometimes I wish someone would toss them overboard! LOL!

Well, I don't want to detract from Coolwind's subject matter and get off on a political tangent, so I will cut myself off there with just the levity of the sidebar concern.

Gordy
 

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lol Gordy, the site must have liked your post to post it 8 times.

We were just informed by our homeowners insurance co. on a rental that xx had to be done or canceled, All dumb stuff but what to do you do, just do it. Some old concrete steps that go no where but to a blank wall, they want removed, only 1 foot high, out comes the sledge, and some other stuff, guess we will be there this weekend.
 

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I am really surprised that lowes still sells those railroad ties and wonder if they have had any trouble with complaints .I guess there is a market for everything .Instead of railroad ties why could you not use a 6x6 pressure treated .They have the new stuff that is treated with non dangerous stuff and comes out to just about the same price
 
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lol Gordy, the site must have liked your post to post it 8 times.
\

Ooopsy!

Well, maybe one of the administators / moderators will delete all but one of those posts.

Sorry folks, but I don' t understand how that happened. Guess you get to read me thoroughly on that one. LOL... Don't want you to miss anything.

Gordy
 
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I use a remote (wireless) keyboard and mouse for my PC. The batteries are running low on the keyboard, that may have created a problem. When the batteries run low, I get all sorts of strange responses. I replace the batteries in the keyboard and the mouse at the same time, so if they are low in the keyboard, the mouse may be having troubles, too. I will stop and get some new batteries shortly, just in case that is the problem.

For now, I just want to address the RR Tie question. If you have them, use them. If you don't, there is another option to line the pond.

How about 3", 4" or 6" PVC pipe filled with sand? It is smooth and round and won't ever be questioned and it won't have splinters to harm your lining. You can use 90°, 60° and 30° fittings to angle it around the pond perimeter. The pond liner can be draped over the piping, wrapped around it or even attached to it with some screws and large flat washers.

I don't know if my ideas on the subject at hand are good or not, but the thought just came to my mind. I guess I don't know if that is worth any salt or not, but I like to discuss all the options and then weigh them out and test them.

Awh, you never know, one day I will have an idea that is excellent. Currently, I am just enjoying the fun of experimentation and getting to learn the ropes.

Gordy
 

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