Hello.

I'm putting up a yard light at my acreage, and I have a question about
the actual installation of the light pole.

I have a typical timber pole, about 35 feet long. A friend will be
helping me with his bobcat to auger a 12" post hole for the pole and
install the post within the hole.

I have a couple of questions regarding how to hole and how to backfill
it.

First, how deep should I install the pole? Does it need to be at least
as deep as the frost depth? I'm thinking the hole should be about 10
feet deep for my area (central Alberta, where the frost penetration
depth is typically about 8').

Second, what would be the best method to backfill around the pole once
it has been placed in the hole? I'm thinking there are two options -
using concrete or tamping in crushed gravel. Does anyone have
experience with these methods? The concrete would be a pain as we'd
have to brace the pole some way until the concrete has set. I think
that the local utility companies use the crushed gravel method when
installing new power/phone/lighting poles.

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks,
Corey

writes:

I have a typical timber pole, about 35 feet long. A friend will be
helping me with his bobcat to auger a 12" post hole for the pole and
install the post within the hole.

I just cut down an old telephone pole on my property. I was left
with a 32 ft pole.

I'm in South Carolina, and I'm using the pole in a pole barn type
application, so I can't really address how far you need to sink
it, other than to guess that below your frost line is probably
as deep as you need to go - that's quite a few feet deep where you are.

I can say, though, that I cut my pole in two, and when me and my
neighbor and the front end loader were raising *that* pole it
was pretty exciting. Assuming your pole is anything like my
pole, it's like trying to handle a tree. My 16 ft long telephone pole
was in a way different class than the 16 ft long treated 6X6's
that I used in another part of the building.

-Mike

wrote:

Hello.

I'm putting up a yard light at my acreage, and I have a question about
the actual installation of the light pole.


You should ask a guy named Jim Ledford (aka jimmee) on misc.rural all
about installing yard lights.

AL

In article ,
hubcap wrote:

writes:

I have a typical timber pole, about 35 feet long. A friend will be
helping me with his bobcat to auger a 12" post hole for the pole and
install the post within the hole.

I just cut down an old telephone pole on my property. I was left
with a 32 ft pole.

I'm in South Carolina, and I'm using the pole in a pole barn type
application, so I can't really address how far you need to sink
it, other than to guess that below your frost line is probably
as deep as you need to go - that's quite a few feet deep where you are.

I can say, though, that I cut my pole in two, and when me and my
neighbor and the front end loader were raising *that* pole it
was pretty exciting. Assuming your pole is anything like my
pole, it's like trying to handle a tree. My 16 ft long telephone pole
was in a way different class than the 16 ft long treated 6X6's
that I used in another part of the building.

I've raised telephone poles over 20' singlehanded. I 'balance' them
across my carry-all and flip them up while they drop into the hole. Id
you get the parameters right the pole will slide into the hole. If the
hole is soft-sided you might need a board to keep it from digging in as
the bottom slides into the hole.

--
Free men own guns - /CapitolHill/5357/

On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 19:21:53 -0700, Nick Hull wrote:

In article ,
hubcap wrote:

writes:

I have a typical timber pole, about 35 feet long. A friend will be
helping me with his bobcat to auger a 12" post hole for the pole and
install the post within the hole.

I just cut down an old telephone pole on my property. I was left
with a 32 ft pole.

I'm in South Carolina, and I'm using the pole in a pole barn type
application, so I can't really address how far you need to sink
it, other than to guess that below your frost line is probably
as deep as you need to go - that's quite a few feet deep where you are.

I can say, though, that I cut my pole in two, and when me and my
neighbor and the front end loader were raising *that* pole it
was pretty exciting. Assuming your pole is anything like my
pole, it's like trying to handle a tree. My 16 ft long telephone pole
was in a way different class than the 16 ft long treated 6X6's
that I used in another part of the building.

I've raised telephone poles over 20' singlehanded. I 'balance' them
across my carry-all and flip them up while they drop into the hole. Id
you get the parameters right the pole will slide into the hole. If the
hole is soft-sided you might need a board to keep it from digging in as
the bottom slides into the hole.

My ex borrowed a friend's stake body to pick up a 25' pole. They lashed
the top end of it to the top of the stakes at the cab. Used a board as
you suggest, lined it up right, and it slid right in.

wrote:
Hello.

I'm putting up a yard light at my acreage, and I have a question about
the actual installation of the light pole.

I have a typical timber pole, about 35 feet long. A friend will be
helping me with his bobcat to auger a 12" post hole for the pole and
install the post within the hole.

I have a couple of questions regarding how to hole and how to backfill
it.

First, how deep should I install the pole? Does it need to be at least
as deep as the frost depth? I'm thinking the hole should be about 10
feet deep for my area (central Alberta, where the frost penetration
depth is typically about 8').

Second, what would be the best method to backfill around the pole once
it has been placed in the hole? I'm thinking there are two options -
using concrete or tamping in crushed gravel. Does anyone have
experience with these methods? The concrete would be a pain as we'd
have to brace the pole some way until the concrete has set. I think
that the local utility companies use the crushed gravel method when
installing new power/phone/lighting poles.

Any help is appreciated!

Never install any wooden pole/post in concrete... it will heave and it
will rot. Set in gravel or sand or any material contribuing to good
drainage, then back fill with whatever soil was removed. Only metal
posts/poles get set into concrete, and even those should have good
drainage material at the bottom or they will heave. If your frost
penetration is 8' than you need to go at least that depth, especially
with wood.

spake thusly and wrote:

I'm putting up a yard light at my acreage, and I have a question about
the actual installation of the light pole.

You might want to check and see what your power co will
put one in for. It might be a real low monthly rate and
they do all the maint.... etc. Might be way off base for your
situation but I just felt to mention it... (and, I'm using
recycled electrons to post this)...

Steve
--
www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs,
office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte,
CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more
Check out http://www.guardian.name

Sheldon wrote:

Never install any wooden pole/post in concrete... it will heave and it
will rot. Set in gravel or sand or any material contribuing to good
drainage, then back fill with whatever soil was removed. Only metal
posts/poles get set into concrete, and even those should have good
drainage material at the bottom or they will heave. If your frost
penetration is 8' than you need to go at least that depth, especially
with wood.

What part does the frost line play?
I always thought the depts was determined by the leverage applied by
the pole.
What am I missing?

On Sat, 02 Sep 2006 11:56:32 -0700, CanopyCo wrote:


Sheldon wrote:

Never install any wooden pole/post in concrete... it will heave and it
will rot. Set in gravel or sand or any material contribuing to good
drainage, then back fill with whatever soil was removed. Only metal
posts/poles get set into concrete, and even those should have good
drainage material at the bottom or they will heave. If your frost
penetration is 8' than you need to go at least that depth, especially
with wood.

What part does the frost line play?
I always thought the depts was determined by the leverage applied by
the pole.
What am I missing?

If you live where the ground seriously freezes in the winter, the earth
will essentially try to spit the pole out. (Look up "frost heave".)
Frost heave is why in areas with rocky soil, if one picks rocks one
year, there will be a new batch the next. And why in the olden days when
wood fence posts for barbed wire fence were driven, farmers went around in
the spring and re-drove any that had heaved.

Iirc the rule-of-thumb for leverage is 1/3 the length of the pole/post for
mid-range lengths; shorter more and longer less.

wrote:
spake thusly and wrote:

I'm putting up a yard light at my acreage, and I have a question about
the actual installation of the light pole.

You might want to check and see what your power co will
put one in for.

In my experience the local power companies aren't permitted to errect
private poles on private property, it's a conflict of interest
situation... essentially it's stealing (material and services). But
often the utility workers will moonlight... their own time, their own
equipment... or more likely they will recommend an electrical
contractor. However, typically a phone call to the local utility
company is all that's necessary to obtain the local code info for pole
installation.

On Sat, 02 Sep 2006 13:12:50 -0700, Sheldon wrote:


wrote:
spake thusly and wrote:

I'm putting up a yard light at my acreage, and I have a question about
the actual installation of the light pole.

You might want to check and see what your power co will
put one in for.

In my experience the local power companies aren't permitted to errect
private poles on private property, it's a conflict of interest
situation... essentially it's stealing (material and services). But
often the utility workers will moonlight... their own time, their own
equipment... or more likely they will recommend an electrical
contractor. However, typically a phone call to the local utility
company is all that's necessary to obtain the local code info for pole
installation.

If one lives where service is provided by a REC (rural electric company),
they often provide/install a light for a monthly charge. One disadvantage
of having my REC do it is that they won't put it on a switch; no way to
turn it off.

Ann wrote:

If one lives where service is provided by a REC (rural electric company),
they often provide/install a light for a monthly charge. One disadvantage
of having my REC do it is that they won't put it on a switch; no way to
turn it off.

A rifle is effective. Neighbors who have to live the glare from the
light every night will gladly assist.

On Sat, 02 Sep 2006 21:47:17 -0700, Louis Boyd wrote:

Ann wrote:

If one lives where service is provided by a REC (rural electric
company), they often provide/install a light for a monthly charge. One
disadvantage of having my REC do it is that they won't put it on a
switch; no way to turn it off.

A rifle is effective. Neighbors who have to live the glare from the
light every night will gladly assist.

And continue to pay the monthly charge? Imo the better solution is (was)
to have it removed. Also, what "neighbors who have to live with the
glare'? This is misc.rural, not misc.burbs.g The nearest neighbor is
1/4 mile away. I can just barely see their pole light when then leaves
are off the trees and I get the angle just right. Which is actually
useful because when there is an outage, if their light is still on, that
means the problem is in the loop over the hill and I'll probably have to
wait forever for service to be restored.

Nick Hull writes:
I've raised telephone poles over 20' singlehanded. I 'balance' them
across my carry-all and flip them up while they drop into the hole.

That sounds like it would work great.

If the
hole is soft-sided you might need a board to keep it from digging in as
the bottom slides into the hole.

South Carolina red dirt during a dry season has similar compressive
strength to concrete g...

-Mike

On 2 Sep 2006 11:56:32 -0700, "CanopyCo" wrote:


Sheldon wrote:

Never install any wooden pole/post in concrete... it will heave and it
will rot. Set in gravel or sand or any material contribuing to good
drainage, then back fill with whatever soil was removed. Only metal
posts/poles get set into concrete, and even those should have good
drainage material at the bottom or they will heave. If your frost
penetration is 8' than you need to go at least that depth, especially
with wood.

What part does the frost line play?
I always thought the depts was determined by the leverage applied by
the pole.
What am I missing?

I was wondering the same thing.

I had my power company put in a pole for me.
I paid $135 (5 years ago). That included the pole and all the labor.
That sure beat all the work and hassle, and the pole alone would have
cost me around $90. There was an unused pole on my property, but they
refused to remove it and reinstall it, even though I was only using it
for an overhead wire to my barn, AFTER my meter. It was still worth
the cost to have them do it, and I have a new pole which will last
longer. I cut the old pole off and used it for corner fence posts,
and when I checked the price of fence posts, I came out ahead.

As far as depth, they placed the pole about 4 to 5 feet deep, and just
filled with the removed soil. Ten feet is wayyyyyyy more than needed,
and I dont think you will find an auger to go that deep.

On Sat, 02 Sep 2006 21:47:17 -0700, Louis Boyd
wrote:

Ann wrote:

If one lives where service is provided by a REC (rural electric company),
they often provide/install a light for a monthly charge. One disadvantage
of having my REC do it is that they won't put it on a switch; no way to
turn it off.

A rifle is effective. Neighbors who have to live the glare from the
light every night will gladly assist.



PLONK

In article ,
) says...
On Sat, 02 Sep 2006 21:47:17 -0700, Louis Boyd
wrote:

Ann wrote:

If one lives where service is provided by a REC (rural electric company),
they often provide/install a light for a monthly charge. One disadvantage
of having my REC do it is that they won't put it on a switch; no way to
turn it off.

A rifle is effective. Neighbors who have to live the glare from the
light every night will gladly assist.



PLONK

A rifle is extreme, but I sympathize with the urge to do something about
the idiots who install yard lights and leave them on all night. An
inexpensive laser pointer aimed at the photocell that controls the light
will turn it out without doing any damage.

By far the best thing to do is just not to shine lights on the
neighbor's property. It's simple to put up lamp shades to block any
light except in a cone below the light pole. Some rural communities
have made this mandatory, in an attempt to control light pollution.


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