OG wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
o.uk...
It occurs to me that any wooden post concreted into a hole in the ground
is going to rot eventually, tanalised or whatever - it's got to be a
matter of time.

The worst area is going to be the end grain by my reckoning, since end
grain is the most absorbent and is going to absorb moisture faster than
any other part of the post.

Soaking the end in wood preserver is one option, but are there others?

A couple of inches of gravel in the bottom of the hole would provide a
natural drain, but might weaken the installation.

Wrapping the post in a plastic bag could work, but again might weaken the
installation because the concrete wouldn't bond to the post.

Piece of DPM in the bottom of the hole?

Any thoughts?

A traditional approach used to be to char the end of the post in a fire for
a while before putting it in the hole. The charring produced turpentines
that preserved the wood and the wood tars helped to keep the moisture from
the heart of the wood.



Applying heat is a pretty good way of guaranteeing rot. The resin
migrates to the end grain and leaves the interior devoid of any natural
defence against moisture. A good reason for not burning paint off
exterior woodwork too.