A strong dock starts with strong pilings.
Shipworms
Shipworms are essentially termites of the sea. They are a wood boring mollusk that uses dock pilings as food and shelter. After entering the pole, the shipworm leaves a small pin hole opening. However once inside the worm continues to eat and travel through the entire pole. The tunnels they leave behind are often times the size of a quarter. This process will continue until the worms have eaten through the entire piling until. The only effective way to stop shipworms in their track is by eliminating their oxygen source.
how we protect against them.
First, we start with a Uline industrial grade stretch wrap. We start this step well above the high tide line, wrap down to the bottom, and then back to our starting point. This makes for a strong 2 layer seal eliminating all shipworms inside the piling. Then, we cover the pole in a polyethylene sheeting which will protect the stretch wrap and prevent anymore shipworms from entering the pole. To secure the wrap, we use 1-1/14” stainless steel ring shanked nails.
Why you should care.
Often times piling protection is overlooked, since the damage they endure is usually under the water and out of sight. However, if your pilings are not wrapped, they ARE being eaten away by shipworms. Given enough time, the shipworms will eat your pilings until they literally split in half. The damage will be thousands of dollars more expensive than just wrapping them. Since creosote was banned as a method of wood treatment, wrapping is the only way to protect your pilings.