There can be nothing more beautiful than watching the long stretch of wooden pilings fitted on to the planks at a pier, marina or a docking facility. If the pilings are left open then that becomes a favourite perching spot for birds haunting the water-side. However, leaving the wooden piles open on the top is a sure way of drastically shortening their life. Dock pile caps are an excellent way of countering this threat and increasing the life of the wooden dock pilings.

Wood is affected when there is dryness or humidity in the atmosphere resulting in its shrinking and swelling under the extreme weather conditions. This leads to splitting, cracking or warping from the top area of the piling. Using a dock pile cap prevents deterioration and premature rotting thus increasing longevity of the pilings. It’s advantages can be summarized as follows:

• Covering the top of pilings from onset of snow, spray or rain
• Preventing tops of the pilings from getting soaked
• Avoiding the perching of birds on the pilings
• Protecting the pilings from bird poop

All the above benefits go towards increasing the life of the pilings.

There are several options available when it comes to a dock pile cap. You have the heat shrink caps made of cross linked polyolefin material; plastic caps, metal caps made mainly from copper, pointed piling caps, flat piling caps or sometimes super fancy customized piling caps are also available. Each type has its own features and advantages and it is up to the buyer to decide what suits him right.

Copper looks the best and retains its beauty for many years. It gives a decorative look to the wooden pilings but at the same time it is an expensive option and chances of them being stolen also cannot be ruled out. So that leaves the polyolefin or the plain plastic cap option of which the heat-shrink polyolefin variety offers more advantages. The wooden pilings obtain total protection against weathering, contamination, moisture or any hostile environmental conditions because of the hot melting adhesive lining of the heat-shrink. It is cost-effective besides being long lasting and has high resistance to ozone and UV rays. It affords ease of installation and requires no maintenance thereafter. There are endless options with regard to the sizes available.

Normally, these pile caps are available in expanded form. When the heat is applied at the required temperature, the caps shrink to their earlier dimensions fitting tightly to the objects they have to enclose. The heat has to be applied through butane or a propane gas torch whose flame has to be a soft blue hue with a yellowed end. The flame has to be moved constantly for achieving an even heating.

Just like a dock pile cap, the pole cap is another item that affords protection to light poles used in recreational, commercial or specialty applications. One more item, that offers protection from ingress of water or moisture is the U-Bolt coating which prevents corrosion or mechanical deterioration between pipes used on offshore platforms and polyshrink for U Bolts. All the three items are normally available at the same manufacturer.