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Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here.
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Posted by Ook on September 1, 2006, 12:32 pm
I know I'm beating a dead dog here, but I find myself unclear about the
pros/cons of setting fence posts in dirt, gravel, or concrete. More
specifically, I'm undecided about which way to go. I need some input from
those who have done this. I'm mostly interested in what is strong and what
will last the longest. I don't want to have to dig them all out 10 years
from now and be stuck with these big concrete chunks.
Dirt: easiest to do, may not be the strongest. It rains a lot here, 9 months
out of the year, so I'm concerned about the constant contact with wet soil.
Gravel. Some recently suggested. Cheaper and easier then concrete, gravel
drains water from post. Stronger then just dirt, post may last longer.
Gravel drains water from post.
Concrete. More work. Strongest. Post in contact with concrete may still rot
out in 10 years. Difficult to replace.
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Posted by Inquiringmind on September 1, 2006, 12:40 pm
Just had to replace a lamp post that broke from wind shear. I think it
was original to the house, 1966. Had to hire someone to replace it for
a cost of about $500 because it had to be dug out of the huge concrete
chunk it was sitting in, and said chunk had to be broken into removal
bits. A real pain. On the other hand, apparently it had lasted forty
years. I had the new one set in concrete (with a piece of PVC pipe to
protect the electric line so that we didn't have to worry about cutting
the power line if we had to break into the concrete again, ever).
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Posted by Ook on September 1, 2006, 1:12 pm
Concrete is obviousl a major PITA to replace, but how long do they last
today? In 1966 they used better preservative, and posts would last 50 years.
What can I do to my posts today to get at least a couple of decades out of
it?
> Just had to replace a lamp post that broke from wind shear. I think it
> was original to the house, 1966. Had to hire someone to replace it for
> a cost of about $500 because it had to be dug out of the huge concrete
> chunk it was sitting in, and said chunk had to be broken into removal
> bits. A real pain. On the other hand, apparently it had lasted forty
> years. I had the new one set in concrete (with a piece of PVC pipe to
> protect the electric line so that we didn't have to worry about cutting
> the power line if we had to break into the concrete again, ever).
>
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Posted by on September 1, 2006, 2:21 pm
Ook wrote:
> Concrete is obviousl a major PITA to replace, but how long do they last
> today? In 1966 they used better preservative, and posts would last 50 years.
> What can I do to my posts today to get at least a couple of decades out of
> it?
>
I don't know how long modern wood posts would last. But it's gotta be
easier and cheaper to put screws/nails into wood than, say, a cast iron
pipe. :) And it's easier than putting a stainless steel achor bolt
into the top of a cast iron pipe filled with concrete onto which you
could hang your fence wood.
But if you go that way, let us know how it works out. It might look
cool. ;)
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Posted by Ook on September 1, 2006, 2:41 pm
>
> Ook wrote:
>> Concrete is obviousl a major PITA to replace, but how long do they last
>> today? In 1966 they used better preservative, and posts would last 50
>> years.
>> What can I do to my posts today to get at least a couple of decades out
>> of
>> it?
>>
>
> I don't know how long modern wood posts would last. But it's gotta be
> easier and cheaper to put screws/nails into wood than, say, a cast iron
> pipe. :) And it's easier than putting a stainless steel achor bolt
> into the top of a cast iron pipe filled with concrete onto which you
> could hang your fence wood.
>
> But if you go that way, let us know how it works out. It might look
> cool. ;)
>
I was at the Oregon State Fair yesterday, and one vendor had a system where
you pour your concrete plug into the ground and have a square concrete post
coming up a few inches out of the ground. Fence post gets bolted to that.
Fence post never touches the ground. If fence post rots away, you unbolt it
and bolt a new one in it's place. I'd be interested in doing this if I could
find instructions and parts.
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Page 1 of 7 1 2 3 > last >>
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