We install them
In Brunswick County, we clean your pilings, fit each Pile Saver, and make sure bracing and hardware leave the collar a clear path. Ask about a free piling inspection.
Request a Piling InspectionPile Saver
Pressure Wash No More
Pile Saver is a patented collar that rides the tide and scrubs your pilings on every rise and fall, so barnacles and marine growth never get a grip. Invented by our owner, installed by our crews.
Invented in Ocean Isle Beach, NC
U.S. Patent No. 8,403,598
The problem
Marine growth is where piling rot starts
Barnacles and marine organisms colonize pilings in the tidal zone, the band between low and high water. That growth holds moisture against the wood, speeds up rot, and gives shipworms cover to bore in. Most dock owners fight it by scraping and pressure washing. It is tedious, labor-intensive, and it grows right back.
Pilings are the foundation of the whole dock. Protecting them costs far less than replacing them.
How it works
The tide does the work, 24/7
- It floats. The collar wraps the piling at the waterline and floats with the water.
- It moves with the water. Tides, waves, and boat wakes push it up and down the piling all day, every day.
- It scrubs as it moves. A PVC scrubber inside the collar wipes the piling on every pass, so organisms cannot attach in the tidal zone.
Polyethylene exterior shell No-rot PVC interior scrubber
In the field
Installed on real docks
Pile Savers sit at the waterline on every piling and travel up and down with the water, working the tidal zone where growth takes hold.
On one retrofit, the pilings were three years old. The cross bracing was moved above high tide and the pilings were scraped, then the Pile Savers went on.
Made to fit
Fabricated for your pilings
Each Pile Saver is built around the piling it protects: a round polyethylene shell with a PVC scrubber cut to the shape of the piling. It installs on new pilings or retrofits onto existing ones, with no need to slip it over the top.
- Round pilings
- Square pilings
- Large pilings
- Small pilings
- Sistered pilings
- Scabbed pilings
- New pilings
- Old pilings
The only prep is cleaning existing growth off the piling. We do that as part of installation, or you can do it yourself. Instructions ship with every order.
Independent research
Tested by NC State University
In 2013, Gerald A. LeBlanc, PhD, of North Carolina State University tested Pile Savers on an eight-year-old pier in the Intracoastal Waterway at Oak Island, NC. Twenty piles were scraped clean. Ten got Pile Savers and ten did not, alternating down the pier.
- 20
- pier piles studied
- 5 months
- May to October 2013
- 3 of 10
- protected piles stayed completely clear
What the study found: unprotected piles built up significant barnacle growth by July and were fully loaded by August. Piles with Pile Savers showed no significant accumulation at any point in the study. The researcher concluded that Pile Savers are highly effective at preventing barnacles from accumulating on pier piles.
In fairness to the data: the few protected piles that did collect growth either had a jammed collar or deep grooves in the wood where the scrubber could not reach. Keeping a clear path for the collar is part of every installation we do.
Get Pile Savers
Installed locally. Shipped nationwide.
Install them yourself
Anywhere in the country: tell us your piling count, shape, and size, and we will ship Pile Savers with installation instructions.
Call 910-842-3625 to orderPile Saver was invented by Bill Thomas and is protected by U.S. Patent No. 8,403,598 (2013).
Pile Saver questions
What is Pile Saver?
Pile Saver is a floating collar that fits around a piling and moves up and down with the tide. As it moves, its PVC interior scrubs the piling so barnacles and marine growth cannot take hold. It was invented and patented (U.S. Patent No. 8,403,598) by our owner in Ocean Isle Beach, NC.
Can Pile Saver be installed on an existing dock?
Yes. Pile Saver can be retrofit onto existing pilings without slipping it over the top of the piling. The pilings are cleaned of growth first, then the collar is installed.
What kinds of pilings does it fit?
Pile Savers are fabricated to fit most piling sizes and designs: round or square, large or small, sistered or scabbed, new or old. We confirm the fit during a free piling inspection.
Is there research behind it?
Yes. A 2013 North Carolina State University study compared ten piles fitted with Pile Savers against ten without, on a pier in the Intracoastal Waterway at Oak Island. The unprotected piles filled with barnacles by August; the protected piles showed no significant accumulation. You can read the full study on our Pile Saver page.
Can I buy Pile Savers without installation?
Yes. Pile Savers ship nationwide with installation instructions. Call us to order, or ask us to install them if you are in our Brunswick County service area.
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