Timber Protection

No-Rot Rods

Solid diffusion rods you drill into timber and leave. Drill, drop, plug — then they protect the joints and end grain where rot starts, for years, from the inside.

Drill, drop, plug
Joints & end grain
Protects for years
Reaches what a brush can't
Not a termite treatment
Not for food-contact timber

Where to get it

Find a stockist

Pack sizes: 60 g — 20 × 8 mm rods
Poison schedule: Schedule 6 — POISON

Australian made in Cheltenham, Victoria — since 1988

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Directions for use

Preparing the timber, then applying — as per the approved label

Before you start: if the timber is structural or load-bearing — veranda posts, bearers, joists, rafters — get a qualified professional to decide whether it can be treated or needs replacing. Preservative stops decay spreading; it can't restore lost strength.

Before you drill

FIND Target the water traps Rot and termite attack take hold in timber above ~20% moisture. Drill where water sits and can't dry — joints, end grain, the groundline — whether or not decay is visible yet.
CHECK Enough timber to drill? The rods need enough sound section to sit inside. Very thin or already-hollowed timber can't hold them — that's a job for No-Rot Gel, or replacement.

Which rod?No-Rot Rods are the 8 mm rod, for timber under 200 mm — joinery, posts, beams and rails. For poles and heavy-duty posts 200 mm and over, use Polesaver Rods: the PS10 to 300 mm, the PS14 above that.

Installing the rods

Always read the label before use.

DRILL Drill a 9 mm hole, 40 mm deep Using an electric drill and a 9 mm (3/8 inch) bit — straight in or at an angle — at the water traps: joints, end grain, the groundline.
DROP Drop in the rod Insert the No-Rot rod and push it down to the bottom of the hole.
PLUG Plug and cut flush Insert a wooden plug, leaving enough protruding to cut off flush with a saw.

How many rods

By where the timber is at risk.

Where	Examples	Rods
Timber in ground contact	Poles, stumps, fence posts	2
Timber sections crossing	Pergolas, rafters & beams, decking bearers & joists	2
Exposed end grain	Beam, rafter and post ends	1
Butt-joined timber	Windows, sashes & sills, fence rails, handrails	2

Termites can bypass itNot a treatment for an existing infestation — protects only the treated zone.Tap for more

No-Rot protects only the timber in the immediate zone around each rod. Termites may bypass the treatment, and it is not an alternative treatment for an existing termite infestation. Regular inspections are recommended; for an active infestation, call a licensed pest controller.

POISON · As per the approved label

Safety & hazards

Signal word, restraints and first aid — from the approved label

As per the approved label. Always read the label before use.

Schedule 6 — POISON

Poisonous if swallowed; will irritate eyes and skin. Wear rubber gloves; wash hands after use. Keep out of reach of children. Read safety directions before opening or using.

Use synthetic rubber (PVC) gloves when handling No-Rot. May irritate the nose and throat. Avoid contact with eyes and skin. Do not inhale dust. Wash hands after use.

Restraint

Do not use in timber that may come into direct contact with foodstuffs, food-preparation areas or food utensils.

First aid

If poisoning occurs, contact a Doctor or Poisons Information Centre (13 11 26). If swallowed, drink water or milk and seek immediate medical attention. If in eyes, hold eyes open and flood with water for at least 15 minutes and see a Doctor.

Full safety directions and first aid are on the product label and the Safety Data Sheet.

Where it goes

The spots that rot first

Rot almost always starts where water gets trapped and can't dry — joints, end grain, and anywhere two timbers meet. Those are exactly where the rods go.

Window frames & sills Drilled next to the joints and rebates, where glass and beading trap water.

Posts & poles Into the core at the groundline — including posts already set in concrete.

Pergolas & cross-overs Where beams cross and butt-join, the classic water trap.

Exposed end grain The most absorbent face of any piece of timber.

Fascia & bargeboards Long runs with joints that sit behind gutters and stay damp.

Marine timber Boats and structures in constant damp — diffusion keeps working where coatings fail.

Get ahead of it No-Rot should be built into any external timber project from the start — fitted into the joints that will trap water, before anything visible happens. The cheapest rot protection there is.

Protection that comes from inside the timber

Why it works

Most treatments coat a surface. No-Rot Rods sit inside the wood and diffuse outward as it takes up moisture — which is exactly when and where decay would otherwise start.

Releases for years

Boron and fluoride diffuse slowly out of the rod into the surrounding timber. Fit them once and they keep working — replenish only when needed.

Reaches what a brush can't

Drilled inside a section, they protect timber you can't get a brush to — sealed joints, the core of a post, wood set in concrete.

Follows the moisture

Diffusion is driven by dampness — so the actives travel to the wet spots where fungi and borers would establish.

Best-performing windows in an eight-year trial

Independently tested

Independent research

Untreated eucalypt windows fitted with No-Rot boron rods were the best-performing windows tested for decay resistance.

In an eight-year window-exposure trial run by CSIRO researchers and published by Forest & Wood Products Australia, No-Rot rods were drilled into holes next to the window rebates — the joints where decay starts — and replenished once at five years. Across every treatment and timber tested, the rodded windows resisted decay best.

Cookson, L. & Carr, J. (2009). Eight year final inspection of model windows exposed in the accelerated field simulator. Forest & Wood Products Australia, Project PNB037-0708. Read the report →

Technical data

Specifications

Active constituents

124 g/kg boron (B) present as disodium octaborate tetrahydrate · 110 g/kg fluoride (F) present as sodium fluoride.

Pack sizes

60 g — 20 × 8 mm rods.

Poison schedule

Schedule 6 — POISON. Poisonous if swallowed; will irritate eyes and skin. Wear rubber gloves; wash hands after use. Keep out of reach of children. Read safety directions before opening or using.

Storage & shelf life

Store in a cool dry place in the original PVC container and out of the reach of children. NO-ROT rods have an indefinite shelf life.

Common questions

Do the rods work on timber that's already rotting?

Partly. They stop decay spreading in sound timber around each rod, but they will not restore timber already severely damaged — unsound wood should be replaced. If the rot is reachable and you'll paint over it, No-Rot Gel is the remedial product; the rods are for getting ahead of it.

Will they stop termites?

No-Rot protects only the timber in the immediate zone around each rod. Termites may bypass the treatment, and it is not an alternative treatment for an existing infestation. Regular inspections are recommended; for an active infestation, call a licensed pest controller.

How long do they last?

The rods release slowly for years and are replenished only when needed. In the eight-year FWPA window trial they were replenished once, at five years.

Can I fit them to new timber before anything goes wrong?

That's the main use. Fit them into the joints, end grain and groundline of any external timber project at build time — the water traps — and they protect from the inside before decay ever starts.