Redwood Enclosure Materials: The Benefits of Genuine California Redwood Bracing in Safe-T-Cover Enclosures

During a visit to the great Pacific Northwest, a water authority representative told us that they wanted no wood inside their aluminum backflow enclosures.

They had recently installed a Safe-T-Cover enclosure and were wary of the wood bracing on the interior. The municipal team said that because of the heavy, year-round rainfall they always shy away from anything wooden or containing wood because “they will eventually just rot away.”

We reassured the municipal engineering team that the wood they saw in our enclosures was not just standard, regular wood that can be bought at any home improvement store, or even most lumber yards. Safe-T-Cover only uses genuine California Redwood in the construction and design of our enclosures. Here's why that matters.

Advantages of Redwood Lumber

California Redwood has many features and benefits that help make our enclosures the best choice in the market.

California Redwood will not rot from exposure to water and the elements

The USDA Forest Products Laboratory has shown that Redwood erodes at only ¼” of wood fiber per century. Many farmhouses and outbuildings built hundreds of years ago with redwood are still standing and able to be easily renovated or materials repurposed because of their still excellent condition.

Redwood holds its structure

Because of its remarkable durability, California Redwood can handle repeated use of wood screws and still maintain integrity. This allows Safe-T-Cover to specify removable roofs, which can be taken off for ease of valve maintenance or replacement, and then easily reattach to the enclosure. No need to replace the entire enclosure when you need access to replace a valve, meter or pump system.

Redwood is strong

California Redwood also has amazing strength and rigidity with minimal knots which allows Safe-T-Cover to design the widest and tallest enclosures in the industry. Our width and height capabilities because of redwood bracing is up to 25% greater than our competitors.

Redwood is naturally resistant to pests

California Redwood is also a deterrent to insects and bugs which might attack other types of wood. The heartwood inside our redwood contains natural extractives that render it highly resistant to decay and infestation.

Redwood is a renewable resource

Most building materials come at a cost to the planet. Redwood doesn't. Using responsibly managed renewable resources in our enclosures is ultimately good for the environment.

Save the Redwoods League says California Redwoods are ideal for construction and wise harvesting can be a net positive to both ecology and climate change. That's because managed redwood forests sequester carbon dioxide as the trees grow, locking it into the wood fibers through photosynthesis, and that carbon stays stored in the lumber long after harvest.

What makes redwood genuinely sustainable is the speed at which it replenishes itself. Young redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) can reach 100 to 150 feet in height within 50 years, according to UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, and when a tree is harvested, the forest doesn't start over. Redwoods can regenerate from stump sprouts, accelerating regrowth.

Meeting Performance and Sustainability Standards

Between our marine grade aluminum and commitment to using Redwood for bracing, you get a superior enclosure product made of highly-sustainable materials at a cost that may pleasantly surprise you.

Whether you’re looking strictly for value, for the best solution to enclosure your pump, valve or backflow preventer, or are committed to environmental stewardship, with Safe-T-Cover, it’s not an either or decision.

Reach out to us and get a quote today.