In article ,
ss writes:
I know there are all sorts of preservatives in B&Q etc for painting on
fence posts but isnt there a longer term solution like coating the part
below ground with something to stop water soaking in to the posts, like
a plastic coating. I am basing my enquiry on the basis of thinking most
of the bog standard preservatives are so enviromentally friendly they
probably are not really much good.

Any thoughts or ideas on this.

Yes, you don't want wooden posts going into the ground in the first
place, at least, not if you're attaching a large wind sail (a.k.a.
a fence panel) to them.

25 years ago, I used fence post sockets, which hold the post above
the ground. You could get spiked ones you hammer in, or ones to be
concreted in. These have worked extremely well, and the untreated
unpainted timber posts are still rock solid.

Unfortunately, all the fence post sockets I've seen recently are
completely crap in comparison with the ones I bought 25 years ago
(Fensock was the make), so I don't know that this is quite as
viable now. I tried Metapost, and they just don't grip the posts
properly. The Fensock ones have a pair of clamp bolts, and haven't
rusted. The Metapost ones are already rusty in the builder's
merchant's yard.

In addition to the other options mentioned, you might consider the
concrete post spurs, which you concrete into the ground with a
couple of feet above, and bolt the post to them using coach bolts
through the holes. Again, this would probably work by holding the
posts above the ground.

--
Andrew Gabriel
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