BigWallop wrote:
"dennis@home" wrote in message
...

"BigWallop" wrote in message
om...
snipped
I'll second this. And might I add, that you should also paint the ends
of
wooden posts with liberal amounts of liquid bitumen, at least up to
ground
level. This helps prevent water penetration into the timber, so you
posts
last years and years longer than having them stuck in the ground with no
protection.

If this PostCrete stuff is cheaper than making you own Sand Cement
Ballast
Mix, then go for it. But I always a good mix of the above never lets me
down. I might give these new fangled things a try one day, if I feel
brave.
:-)

The stuff the OP is on about (IIRC) has a big advantage over mixing your
own..
you dig a hole, drop the post in and fill it with the mix dry.
You pour in water and it sets in about 20 mins.
By the time you have had your tea break you can fit the panels.
I have used it and it is really good if you are in a hurry.


I can see the advantages in its use, but I think the old ways are still
best. Yes, I probably should get more "with it". :-)

We still dig the holes. Set the posts to the levels we want. Support the
posts with timber struts. Fix the panels Etc. Make sure everything is the
way it should be. Then we mix our batches and pour the 'Crete in the holes.

Doing the posts individually takes forever. Isn't it best to build your
fence, then fix the posts in place at the end. Our fences, around the
several out-buildings we have had to create, are still standing after,
roughly, twenty years. The only things we've had to replace is the gate
hinges and a few padlocks.

Ah well. Each tae thir ane, as they say.


I see the question as highly dependent on numbers.

For one or two posts it is much easier and cheaper to get a bag of
postcrete. After all, by the time you have bought a bag of cement, let
alone the ballast, it has cost as much.

For a few more, it is probably considerably cheaper to mix your own.

For lots, maybe the labour of mixing, or cost of a mixer, outweighs the
extra cost? And there might be a discount on a quantity purchase.

Having materials lying around (effectively free), or going to waste
because they are surplus, are significant factors in choosing.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org