THE ECOPILE – THE FIRST PILING ENGINEERED FOR MARINE APPLICATIONS

Everything about the EcoPile makes it the most environmentally friendly choice when choosing a piling.  For every single EcoPile you choose to use, you are saving several trees over the lifespan of the piling.  Every wooden pole that is driven into the ground is coated in chemical preservatives that hurt the marine ecosystems.  The webbed substrate of the EcoPile is also made up of recycled PVC, so for every foot of piling up to 10 pounds of plastic are being reused in a sustainable way.  When the piling is no longer needed, it is 100% recyclable.

Several states across the US have already banned the use of any kind of treated lumber that contacts the water.  Many other states are following suit, by slowly drawing back the allowed amount of treatment in the wood.  Although it helps to clean up the water, the wood is less protected, thus reducing its useful life.  Homeowners used to see 20 to 30+ years of life out of a wooden piling, but now it is not uncommon for a wood piling to fail in l

The EcoPile is the first composite piling to be budget friendly.  At less than half the price of comparable 100% fiberglass piling, choosing your composite piling should be a no-brainer. By the time you purchase a wooden piling and have it coated with a protective layer, the price of the piling is not far off from the EcoPile.  When you take the amount of times a wooden piling will need to be replaced over the life of the dock into consideration, the EcoPile becomes the more economical solution. The piling are the foundation of the dock, and that is the first place you should look when choosing composites.  You can easily replace a deck 10 years down the road, but if your pilings fail, the whole dock needs to be replaced.  Switching all of your piling to the EcoPile will result in a small increase in overall job costs, but you will never have to worry about your foundation again.

The EcoPile was designed to be structural without the need to fill it with concrete.  Concrete adds extra complications and costs to a project.  However, if needed, concrete can be added to a piling to make it even stronger.  Concrete is recommended in certain situations, primarily pilings that have heavy side loads.  Applications like this could include jet ski lift that have a large load cantilevered out over the side of the piling.  “Beamless” boatlifts with the motors mounted to the side of the piling can also result in heavy side loads.  If your project calls for one of these applications, be prepared to fill the pilings with cement for the extra strength. We also recommend that you fill freestanding pilings with cement if you are in an area with high currents.  These piles would include lift pilings that are on the far side of the dock, and not attached to anything.  Without the support of the rest of the structure, the pilings will move slightly more than a timber piling due to the light weight.  Concrete will add some weight and stiffness to keep the piling rock solid in all conditions.

A dock can be designed for the EcoPile the same way that a traditional wood piling dock would.  When choosing a piling diameter, just refer to our sizing guide above.  An 8’’ pole is great for walkway piles and shallower depths around 6 feet.  The 10’’ is ideal for platforms at the end of the dock in slightly deeper water.  The 12’’ is our recommendation for any lifts or boathouse structures with roofs.  Following these recommendations will give you a rock-solid dock that doesn’t need to be filled with concrete or need excessive external cross bracing. For contractors new to the EcoPile, it is safe to assume you should size up one piling from wood.  For example, if you would normally use an 8-9’’ butt wood piling, the 10’’ would be very comparable.

If you have any questions about picking the right pole for your project, please call into the office at 904-696-2981, or e-mail ap@ecopile.com.