“You can see the University of Massachusetts article where they talk about this fact in the sources below. Treatments do not protect the wood from water but it does protect it from the pests, fungi, and other things that like wet wood. The treatments are designed to protect you from microscopic or visible pests destroying your product according to that article.1“
Looking for garden beams for your vertical grow rack? It is not easy to find because there are not a lot of companies that deal with your type of business. If you try to go to other companies then it might be confusing what you need for your business. There are a lot of choices as far as beam length. The truth of the matter is that you probably do not need the capacities that the longer beams can give you. The beam we will link to in this post has a capacity of 2,700 lbs. Keep in mind that this is the capacity for two beams as you will need two to form the shelf level. The capacities we talk about here are for two beams and not one. If you try to use one beam then you will have an incomplete shelf level and it will not hold 2,700 lbs.
The garden beams you select should be made of steel or some sort of metal. The reason why is that steel or metal does not attract bugs that eat a wood made product. Insects can bring a variety of bacteria and such with them. Therefore, you want to avoid contact with them on your product. Steel and metal also do not attract mold, spores, and/or mildew like wood does. In general, if there is a pest associated with wood then you are going to avoid it by using metal or steel. Pests can ruin your product and make your overhead much higher. You may as well get as much product as you can out of your harvests by using metal or steel. If you have more product then you have the potential to sell more which is what we all want.
“The truth of the matter is that you probably do not need the capacities that the longer beams can give you. The beam we will link to in this post has a capacity of 2,700 lbs. Keep in mind that this is the capacity for two beams as you will need two to form the shelf level.”
Also, remember, you are working around water on these garden beams. Wood tends to absorb water even if you use pressure-treated wood. It also releases that water over time which causes the inner twisting and turning of wood and cracks or distorts it. You can see the University of Massachusetts article where they talk about this fact in the sources below. Treatments do not protect the wood from water but it does protect it from the pests, fungi, and other things that like wet wood. The treatments are designed to protect you from microscopic or visible pests destroying your product according to that article.1 Metal garden beams do not have this problem. The beams we carry also have a powder coat on them. A lot of places mention that they have it too but they never tell you what it does. If you have wondered why you should care then you should know that the powder coat gives the metal, or steel, an extra layer of protection against corrosion, rusting and scratches. Steel and metal also do not interact with water as fast or the same way that wood does. If you get galvanized steel then you have a product that uses zinc to make sure that the interactivity is lessened to an even greater degree. The zinc reacts to the water instead of the steel which means that the steel stays stronger for an even longer amount of time than normal steel. The zinc will corrode or rust first which leaves your steel strong.2
Finally, there is the initial permit process you have to think about and the subsequent inspection processes. You might get away with wood beams in an inspection depending on where you are located. The inspector will not be happy to see it, however. In fact, there are many times where that means that you cannot grow as high in your business. It all depends on where you are located but containment of fires is an issue with products that reach towards the sky. Many of the codes are written in a way where wood-based products are not allowed to store products as high because of their flammable nature. It is something to keep in mind when you are selecting what garden beam you will use in your business.
If you need more help selecting a garden beam for your business then give us a call. You can dial us by calling 503-536-7218. If you are ready to get a steel or metal-based garden beam for your business then click that link and have a look at that product.
Contributors, H. S. W. (2000, April 1). How does pressure-treated lumber work? Retrieved from https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-
improvement/remodeling/question278.htm
Wood Myths: Facts and Fictions About Wood: Building and Construction Technology: UMass Amherst. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https:// bct.eco.umass.edu/publications/articles/wood-myths-facts-and-fictions-about-wood/
Tampa Steel. (2020, January 31). What Is Galvanized Steel?: Does Galvanized Steel Rust?: Tampa Steel. Retrieved from https://tampasteel.com/what-is-galvanized-metal/
