From the Field: The Benefits of Genuine California Redwood Bracing in Safe-T-Cover Enclosures

I recently visited the great Pacific Northwest and was told by a water authority representative that they wanted NO WOOD in their enclosures. They had recently installed a Safe-T-Cover enclosure and were wary of the wood bracing they saw 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.”

I 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. 

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

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 have to replace a valve, meter or pump system.

California Redwood also has amazing strength and rigidity 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.

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.

Finally, California Redwood is a renewable resource, and responsibly using renewable resources in our enclosures is ultimately good for the environment. Learn more about why California Redwoods are ideal for construction and why wise harvesting can be a net positive to the ecology and climate change. 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.