On Dec 8, 10:45*am, RedDwarf wrote:
I'm starting my new project, a 6 foot vinyl privacy fence. a lot of
online resources recommend putting gravel into the holes (6 inches
worth). Is this really necessary? i figured with a wood fence it would
be to prevent rotting. But was wondering if placing them directly in
the concrete was bad... seeing as how they're vinyl. i'm in norfolk,
va. if climate is a factor.

I don't plan on putting 4x4s down the center of the posts, only at the
gate.

also, any tips? I was planning on putting the corners in first, then
tying a string corner to corner - then staking out where the posts
should go. I was going to do dig all the holes, but do 2 posts/panel
at a time to reduce the risk of error. (instead of all the posts at
once, which i'm sure i'd screw up).

Thanks for the help everyone!

Something that happens to some cemented hollow posts, metal or
plastic, in the midwest north is ground water fills enough of the post
to cause splitting in a hard freeze. Over the years I have noted this
most often in chain link fence posts. The concrete around the base
doesn't appear to prevent this. In fact, most line posts just driven
into the soil in the same installations are intact. There doesn't
appear to be any obvious reason for this phenomenon. Perhaps new
ground water forces a frozen plug upward which then will burst the
post above ground. Whatever, embedding well in fresh concrete may be
the technique of choice.

Joe