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#1
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
I know I'm beating a dead dog here, but I find myself unclear about the
pros/cons of setting fence posts in dirt, gravel, or concrete. More specifically, I'm undecided about which way to go. I need some input from those who have done this. I'm mostly interested in what is strong and what will last the longest. I don't want to have to dig them all out 10 years from now and be stuck with these big concrete chunks. Dirt: easiest to do, may not be the strongest. It rains a lot here, 9 months out of the year, so I'm concerned about the constant contact with wet soil. Gravel. Some recently suggested. Cheaper and easier then concrete, gravel drains water from post. Stronger then just dirt, post may last longer. Gravel drains water from post. Concrete. More work. Strongest. Post in contact with concrete may still rot out in 10 years. Difficult to replace. |
#2
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Just had to replace a lamp post that broke from wind shear. I think it
was original to the house, 1966. Had to hire someone to replace it for a cost of about $500 because it had to be dug out of the huge concrete chunk it was sitting in, and said chunk had to be broken into removal bits. A real pain. On the other hand, apparently it had lasted forty years. I had the new one set in concrete (with a piece of PVC pipe to protect the electric line so that we didn't have to worry about cutting the power line if we had to break into the concrete again, ever). |
#3
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Concrete is obviousl a major PITA to replace, but how long do they last
today? In 1966 they used better preservative, and posts would last 50 years. What can I do to my posts today to get at least a couple of decades out of it? "Inquiringmind" wrote in message ups.com... Just had to replace a lamp post that broke from wind shear. I think it was original to the house, 1966. Had to hire someone to replace it for a cost of about $500 because it had to be dug out of the huge concrete chunk it was sitting in, and said chunk had to be broken into removal bits. A real pain. On the other hand, apparently it had lasted forty years. I had the new one set in concrete (with a piece of PVC pipe to protect the electric line so that we didn't have to worry about cutting the power line if we had to break into the concrete again, ever). |
#4
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook wrote: Concrete is obviousl a major PITA to replace, but how long do they last today? In 1966 they used better preservative, and posts would last 50 years. What can I do to my posts today to get at least a couple of decades out of it? I don't know how long modern wood posts would last. But it's gotta be easier and cheaper to put screws/nails into wood than, say, a cast iron pipe. And it's easier than putting a stainless steel achor bolt into the top of a cast iron pipe filled with concrete onto which you could hang your fence wood. But if you go that way, let us know how it works out. It might look cool. |
#5
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
wrote in message ups.com... Ook wrote: Concrete is obviousl a major PITA to replace, but how long do they last today? In 1966 they used better preservative, and posts would last 50 years. What can I do to my posts today to get at least a couple of decades out of it? I don't know how long modern wood posts would last. But it's gotta be easier and cheaper to put screws/nails into wood than, say, a cast iron pipe. And it's easier than putting a stainless steel achor bolt into the top of a cast iron pipe filled with concrete onto which you could hang your fence wood. But if you go that way, let us know how it works out. It might look cool. I was at the Oregon State Fair yesterday, and one vendor had a system where you pour your concrete plug into the ground and have a square concrete post coming up a few inches out of the ground. Fence post gets bolted to that. Fence post never touches the ground. If fence post rots away, you unbolt it and bolt a new one in it's place. I'd be interested in doing this if I could find instructions and parts. |
#6
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook wrote: Concrete. More work. Strongest. Post in contact with concrete may still rot out in 10 years. Difficult to replace. concrete of not the wood is going to get wet get a bucket of drivesealer, mix some kerosene with it dip the bottom of the post in it, stack them let them dry... repeat a few times... set them in dirt, dirt will settle rilltight but you haven't said what the application is, or what is going to be hanging on the poastseseseseseseseseses it matters not really, you stick two feet in the ground they won't fall.. you treat the bottoms LIKE I TOLD YOU they will outlive you WHATEVER YOU DO RENT AN AUGER ok, since you're forgoing concrete rent the auger personally I think you should keep talking about it for a few more days G --- that's a grin lastly don't listen to ricdejour he's full of bologna sammiches, really he is |
#7
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
I was at the Oregon State Fair yesterday, and one vendor had a system where you pour your concrete plug into the ground and have a square concrete post coming up a few inches out of the ground. Fence post gets bolted to that. Fence post never touches the ground. If fence post rots away, you unbolt it and bolt a new one in it's place. I'd be interested in doing this if I could find instructions and parts. Just remember that the bottom of your fence post needs to have a lot of bending strength to resist a wind storm. So if the connection at the base will break at near the same loading level that the post will break at, you might have something worthwhile. Do you have a link to the hardware in question? |
#8
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook wrote:
I know I'm beating a dead dog here, but I find myself unclear about the pros/cons of setting fence posts in dirt, gravel, or concrete. More specifically, I'm undecided about which way to go. I need some input from those who have done this. I'm mostly interested in what is strong and what will last the longest. I don't want to have to dig them all out 10 years from now and be stuck with these big concrete chunks. Dirt: easiest to do, may not be the strongest. It rains a lot here, 9 months out of the year, so I'm concerned about the constant contact with wet soil. Gravel. Some recently suggested. Cheaper and easier then concrete, gravel drains water from post. Stronger then just dirt, post may last longer. Gravel drains water from post. Concrete. More work. Strongest. Post in contact with concrete may still rot out in 10 years. Difficult to replace. Metal posts in concrete will last indefinitely (or 75 years, whichever comes first). Mine have lasted 42 years and they make even better metal posts today than they did in the '60s. 1. Dig hole (it can be a lot smaller than if you were using 4x4). 2. Put a rock in bottom. 3. Set post in hole - make it straight. 4. Fill hole with water. 5. Slowly dump in a bag of concrete. 6. Repeat steps 1-5 for each post. |
#9
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
but you haven't said what the application is, or what is going to be
hanging on the poastseseseseseseseseses Wooden fence around my 2/3 acre property. Wood posts set 8 feet apart. Fence will be 6 feet high. I'm thinking of a small support in the middle to prevent sag, as most wooden fences I see sag in the middle of each run. it matters not really, you stick two feet in the ground they won't fall.. you treat the bottoms LIKE I TOLD YOU they will outlive you What is drivesealer? Driveway sealer? Why kerosene, and how much? Will this work on pressure treated ground contact rated posts? WHATEVER YOU DO RENT AN AUGER High on my todo list. I'm going out today to stake the posts so I can get an accurate count of how many posts. personally I think you should keep talking about it for a few more days I might - the more I discuss it, the more advice I get, the more I learn, and eventually I'll know enough (or think I know enough) that I'll be ready to actually get off of my butt and do something vbg --- Very Big Grin |
#10
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
personally I think you should keep talking about it for a few more days
Personally, I have learned tons from this newsgroup. Usenet may be fading away, but there are still many vaulable newsgroups out there, like this one. My thanks to everyone that has pitched in with comments. Keep them coming! |
#11
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
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#12
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook wrote: Usenet may be fading away not if you ask me google got on the usenet wagon, now google archives these q & a sessions; thus: Google Groups http://groups.google.com/ only difference google carries at the big 8 in the heiarchy, they also allow a user to create their own group, where'as with usenet it's not so easy to get a group started I agree, it really is an "on time" source of help how long has usenet been around anyway? since the days of 300 baud modems? |
#13
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
"sosessyithurts" wrote in message oups.com... Ook wrote: Usenet may be fading away not if you ask me google got on the usenet wagon, now google archives these q & a sessions; thus: Google Groups http://groups.google.com/ only difference google carries at the big 8 in the heiarchy, they also allow a user to create their own group, where'as with usenet it's not so easy to get a group started I agree, it really is an "on time" source of help how long has usenet been around anyway? since the days of 300 baud modems? There are more newsgroups then there have ever been, but a lot of popular groups I used to frequent have died. I wonder if there are any usage stats out there? I'd like to see some historical numbers that are probalby more accurate then my opinion. I didn't discover usenet until I upgraded to a 2400 modem. I think I still have a couple 300 baud modems lying around. I used to use a 2400 modem built for a commodore 64. I built an RS232 interface from Radio Shack parts and hooked it up to my PC/XT. Worked great :P |
#14
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
"sosessyithurts" wrote in message oups.com... Ook wrote: Usenet may be fading away not if you ask me google got on the usenet wagon, now google archives these q & a sessions; thus: Google Groups http://groups.google.com/ only difference google carries at the big 8 in the heiarchy, they also allow a user to create their own group, where'as with usenet it's not so easy to get a group started I agree, it really is an "on time" source of help how long has usenet been around anyway? since the days of 300 baud modems? PS. Tell me more about "drivesealer" that you recommend using on the posts. |
#15
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook wrote: PS. Tell me more about "drivesealer" that you recommend using on the posts. that's what we used to treat a horse fence, it came reccommended by a fella who raises cyldesdales you thin it with kerosene in order to make it soak in better, about 1/2 and 1/2 it's no different than railway ties, you know, the black railroad ties you can find laying around driveseal oppossed to watersealer, I can't see water sealer lasting more than a few years before it loses its properties --- extensiive usenet statistics http://www.livinginternet.com/u/ua_old.htm |
#16
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
"sosessyithurts" wrote in message oups.com... Ook wrote: PS. Tell me more about "drivesealer" that you recommend using on the posts. that's what we used to treat a horse fence, it came reccommended by a fella who raises cyldesdales you thin it with kerosene in order to make it soak in better, about 1/2 and 1/2 it's no different than railway ties, you know, the black railroad ties you can find laying around driveseal oppossed to watersealer, I can't see water sealer lasting more than a few years before it loses its properties --- I found it. Driveway sealer. Driveway and paving sealer. Know of any suppliers in the US for this stuff? A brief romp through the Internet showed it readily available in the UK, NZ, Australia, etc. Or can any good driveway sealer work? |
#17
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
"Ook" Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote in message ... wrote in message ups.com... Ook wrote: Concrete is obviousl a major PITA to replace, but how long do they last today? In 1966 they used better preservative, and posts would last 50 years. What can I do to my posts today to get at least a couple of decades out of it? I don't know how long modern wood posts would last. But it's gotta be easier and cheaper to put screws/nails into wood than, say, a cast iron pipe. And it's easier than putting a stainless steel achor bolt into the top of a cast iron pipe filled with concrete onto which you could hang your fence wood. But if you go that way, let us know how it works out. It might look cool. I was at the Oregon State Fair yesterday, and one vendor had a system where you pour your concrete plug into the ground and have a square concrete post coming up a few inches out of the ground. Fence post gets bolted to that. Fence post never touches the ground. If fence post rots away, you unbolt it and bolt a new one in it's place. I'd be interested in doing this if I could find instructions and parts. I have used the steel anchors that are designed to be pounded into the ground, but I set them into concrete. You can replace the posts if the bottom rots, and if you keep the steel painted. When installing, take extra care to keep them level because a slight angle can create a crooked post. |
#18
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook wrote: I found it. Driveway sealer. Driveway and paving sealer. Know of any suppliers in the US for this stuff? A brief romp through the Internet showed it readily available in the UK, NZ, Australia, etc. Or can any good driveway sealer work? oh sure, any home-depot, lowes, ace hardware... do you have a local DIY home shop? they mighit have it too.. of course if it's cold out.. it will go on a tad thicker and soak in a tad slower maybe add your city and state to your search terms |
#19
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
In article ,
Ook Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote: I know I'm beating a dead dog here, but I find myself unclear about the pros/cons of setting fence posts in dirt, gravel, or concrete. More specifically, I'm undecided about which way to go. I need some input from those who have done this. I'm mostly interested in what is strong and what will last the longest. I don't want to have to dig them all out 10 years from now and be stuck with these big concrete chunks. ...snipped... Different types of soil and climate may produce different results. That said, my experience in the Baltimore Md area, is that a CCA PT 4X4 will last AT LEADT 20 years directly in the ground, and in fact at this age they appear to have plenty of life left. (I recently pulled some up that were about 20 years old; I needed to set new, deeper posts because I was replacing a 4 ft fence with a 6 foot fence.) In fact, the posts will outlast 2 or 3 sets of cedar pickets. The soil that these posts were set in is soft for the first 8 inches or so, then becomes pretty hard, hitting clay at about 2 feet down. I put a few inches of gravel in the bottom of each hole. YMMV. I've seen lots of recommendations to avoid setting posts in concrete, claiming they would rot faster than when set directly in soil. Whethere that's true or not, I don't know, but with the life of a typical PT post set directly in the ground, it certainly is not necessary. -- Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland |
#20
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook wrote: I know I'm beating a dead dog here, but I find myself unclear about the pros/cons of setting fence posts in dirt, gravel, or concrete. More specifically, I'm undecided about which way to go. I need some input from those who have done this. I'm mostly interested in what is strong and what will last the longest. I don't want to have to dig them all out 10 years from now and be stuck with these big concrete chunks. Dirt: easiest to do, may not be the strongest. It rains a lot here, 9 months out of the year, so I'm concerned about the constant contact with wet soil. Gravel. Some recently suggested. Cheaper and easier then concrete, gravel drains water from post. Stronger then just dirt, post may last longer. Gravel drains water from post. Concrete. More work. Strongest. Post in contact with concrete may still rot out in 10 years. Difficult to replace. Lots of great ideas here, but here's a couple more. In the countryside around here we have the occasional redwood fence posts with barbed wire. Redwood lasts a very long time, but the reason they still stand is due not to concrete but shale that's driven alongside the footer. When I reconstructed a fence along part of our property, I pulled out a couple misplaced treated 4x4 posts, and the part that was in the ground was as good as new. 40%copper pressure treated posts last a long time, and look better than steel or vinyl posts, in my opinion. I agree that concrete is so permanent to be a nuisance around the property. But, it does hold posts well and the post won't rot if the very bottom isn't sitting in a bucket of water soaked concrete. I didn't want to spend too much money on concrete, so I combined the pounding of shale and other flat rocks at the foot to make the post tight, and then at the top of the whole, I filled in a bit of concrete and mounded it a little so that dripping rain drains away from the post. Posts can support each other, so I used galvanized metal brackets to hold the cross supports between each pair of posts (set 8 feet apart), 2x4s set on edge, rather than flat, so that I wouldn't have the saggy look so common on fences in my area. These cross supports were 10%copper pressure treated posts, cheap and available at Home Depot, so I used 3 cross supports, rather than two. The top plate connecting across posts were 20ft long 2x6 redwood, and the visible lumber used was carefully sorted for heartwood 7/8"x5 redwood planks found also at Home Depot. I cut off the dog ears and put the edges under the overhang of the top plate. I drilled and used screws, not nails, which takes a little longer to put up, but results in fewer split boards and an overall stronger fence. Along the bottom at dirt level, I linked posts with 1x12 redwood as a kickplate, filling whatever holes with spare rocks to keep the dogs in the yard. Later, I decided that the southern exposure of the fence would look good with grape vines, but I wanted to make sure the fence would suffer from the extra weight, so I drove 2x2 grape stakes every 4 feet, and anchored with screws to the existing fence at the post, and half-way between, and then put half-way up and just under the top plate, horizontal 2x2s to tie across and create an easy access trellis to tie on the vines, which are spaced every 4'. Ultimately, because the vines are away from the wood, and well pruned of foilage and excess wood in winter, they will actually provide additional wind resistence for the fence by their root strength. In summer, the foliage shades the wood, reducing exposure to the harmful effects of UV rays that will over many years will split up even good redwood planking. Anyway, this is the story of a 100' section of fencing on my property. Incidentally, I like the grey color of weathered redwood, so I wouldn't bother to stain or paint the fence. I don't want the extra maintenance. |
#21
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
here in london u.k. we have things called met posts. metal spikes that you
bolt the post into. they seem to work fine for me. see illustration http://www.fencingtrade.co.uk/acatalog/Kwik_Posts.html |
#22
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
"Ook" Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote in message ... Usenet may be fading away It is? |
#23
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
On 1 Sep 2006 09:40:11 -0700, "Inquiringmind"
wrote: Just had to replace a lamp post that broke from wind shear. I think it was original to the house, 1966. Had to hire someone to replace it for a cost of about $500 because it had to be dug out of the huge concrete chunk it was sitting in, and said chunk had to be broken into removal bits. A real pain. On the other hand, apparently it had lasted forty years. I had the new one set in concrete (with a piece of PVC pipe to protect the electric line so that we didn't have to worry about cutting the power line if we had to break into the concrete again, ever). They sell some square metal things that set into concrete and are made to fit a common 4x4 post. That way the posts can be replaced without digging. If you dont use something like this, I'd just fill the hole with the dirt. Thats all I did on my pole barn, which takes a lot more abuse than a fence. |
#24
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
On Sat, 02 Sep 2006 13:06:07 GMT, "jeffc" wrote:
"Ook" Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote in message ... Usenet may be fading away It is? Sure is. I've lived in my house for 20 years- and I've been on Usenet for 11. I hope I live to be 100 so I can see whether the road out front goes 4-lane, or Usenet dies first. Both have been 'imminent' since I've known them. Jim [I had to search googlegroups for "death of usenet" -- It was being predicted in 1985- http://groups.google.com/group/net.n...c09956ca0e173d Joked about as "the imminent death of Usenet" by 1989- http://groups.google.com/group/news....a511a8f54861ce and became the acronym IDOUP by the end of the year http://groups.google.com/group/news....5 f11a549be06 |
#25
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
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#26
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Jim Elbrecht wrote: It is? Sure is. I've lived in my house for 20 years- and I've been on Usenet for 11. I hope I live to be 100 so I can see whether the road out front goes 4-lane, or Usenet dies first. Both have been 'imminent' since I've known them. so why did google get on the wagon? why does any decent isp even have a news server my guess is that usage is up! up because more are learning about it usenet started when most people didn't even own a computer, how can it be fading? you should post some statistics... if you're referring to the old days and you don't see the familiar names you used to... that's one thing.. that's not fading, those people just died! lmao ' post some stats! |
#27
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook,
FWIW, on an old episode of This Old House they buried composite post "anchors" in the ground, which in turn had a PVC sleeve inserted into them along with a 1" diameter piece of rebar that was long enough to stick up above ground level. Each wooden fence post had a hole bored into its end and was placed over the top of the protruding rebar. This way the posts were never in contact with the ground. When I tried to find out further information about these composite post "anchors", all that I could turn up was that Walpole Woodworkers had something to do with them. Not much info on their website and I never did get around to actually visiting one of their locations to see if these items were available. It seems like a viable system to me. If so, it may help put an end to the constant debate of whether or not to use cement when installing fence posts. Anyone else, have any info on these? Please post it here for all to share. TIA. HTH. Peter. "Ook" Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote in message ... I know I'm beating a dead dog here, but I find myself unclear about the pros/cons of setting fence posts in dirt, gravel, or concrete. More specifically, I'm undecided about which way to go. I need some input from those who have done this. I'm mostly interested in what is strong and what will last the longest. I don't want to have to dig them all out 10 years from now and be stuck with these big concrete chunks. Dirt: easiest to do, may not be the strongest. It rains a lot here, 9 months out of the year, so I'm concerned about the constant contact with wet soil. Gravel. Some recently suggested. Cheaper and easier then concrete, gravel drains water from post. Stronger then just dirt, post may last longer. Gravel drains water from post. Concrete. More work. Strongest. Post in contact with concrete may still rot out in 10 years. Difficult to replace. |
#28
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
"jeffc" wrote in message ... "Ook" Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote in message ... Usenet may be fading away It is? It is. I think the younger generation is not as usenet savvy as some of use...older...folks. How old are people here? I'm 46 and been online for about 22 years since I bought a 300 baud modem and discovered BBS's. |
#29
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook wrote: How old are people here? I'm 46 and been online for about 22 years since I bought a 300 baud modem and discovered BBS's. damn your old im only 8 years old, what is a bbs? are you going to build you fence today? You are going to get tired quick. |
#30
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
"Ook" Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote in message ... It is. I think the younger generation is not as usenet savvy as some of use...older...folks. How old are people here? I'm 46 and been online for about 22 years since I bought a 300 baud modem and discovered BBS's. Anyone who's been around this newsgroup for a while would remember when a thread like this one (the original thread - about fence posts) would have gotten a very authoritative response from Bikerbabe in Black Leather, which would then have brought on a response from some clueless n00bie entertaining the rest of us with something like "Hey Bikerbabe. I can tell you're my type. Maybe we could get together for a couple drinks, followed by Bikerbabe saying "I really don't think I'm your type." and then a few more posts debating the point. Yes ... those were the days. |
#31
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Go with the concrete, but use a pole liner, a sleeve that the pole
slides into so the pole can be replaced. home depot actualy sells some of these blocks already pored for certain size poles or with a clamp for a 4x4 if you are using wood posts. Empress2454 #124457 The best Games a href=http://www.gamestotal.com/Multiplayer Online Games/a a href=http://www.gamestotal.com/Strategy Games/abra href=http://uc.gamestotal.com/Unification Wars/a - a href=http://uc.gamestotal.com/Massive Multiplayer Online Games/abra href=http://gc.gamestotal.com/Galactic Conquest/a - a href=http://gc.gamestotal.com/Strategy Games/abra href=http://www.stephenyong.com/runescape.htmRunescape/abra href=http://www.stephenyong.com/kingsofchaos.htmKings of chaos/abr Ook wrote: I know I'm beating a dead dog here, but I find myself unclear about the pros/cons of setting fence posts in dirt, gravel, or concrete. More specifically, I'm undecided about which way to go. I need some input from those who have done this. I'm mostly interested in what is strong and what will last the longest. I don't want to have to dig them all out 10 years from now and be stuck with these big concrete chunks. Dirt: easiest to do, may not be the strongest. It rains a lot here, 9 months out of the year, so I'm concerned about the constant contact with wet soil. Gravel. Some recently suggested. Cheaper and easier then concrete, gravel drains water from post. Stronger then just dirt, post may last longer. Gravel drains water from post. Concrete. More work. Strongest. Post in contact with concrete may still rot out in 10 years. Difficult to replace. |
#32
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
Ook wrote:
I know I'm beating a dead dog here, but I find myself unclear about the pros/cons of setting fence posts in dirt, gravel, or concrete. More specifically, I'm undecided about which way to go. I need some input from those who have done this. I'm mostly interested in what is strong and what will last the longest. I don't want to have to dig them all out 10 years from now and be stuck with these big concrete chunks. Dirt: easiest to do, may not be the strongest. It rains a lot here, 9 months out of the year, so I'm concerned about the constant contact with wet soil. Gravel. Some recently suggested. Cheaper and easier then concrete, gravel drains water from post. Stronger then just dirt, post may last longer. Gravel drains water from post. Concrete. More work. Strongest. Post in contact with concrete may still rot out in 10 years. Difficult to replace. Hi, I only use cedar or treated wood post. Gravel at bottom, pack with dirt and make a dome around post at the top. Lasts LONG time. |
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Set fence post in concrete, dirt, or gravel?
"Tony Hwang" wrote in message news:fapKg.499071$iF6.378897@pd7tw2no... Ook wrote: I know I'm beating a dead dog here, but I find myself unclear about the pros/cons of setting fence posts in dirt, gravel, or concrete. More specifically, I'm undecided about which way to go. I need some input from those who have done this. I'm mostly interested in what is strong and what will last the longest. I don't want to have to dig them all out 10 years from now and be stuck with these big concrete chunks. Dirt: easiest to do, may not be the strongest. It rains a lot here, 9 months out of the year, so I'm concerned about the constant contact with wet soil. Gravel. Some recently suggested. Cheaper and easier then concrete, gravel drains water from post. Stronger then just dirt, post may last longer. Gravel drains water from post. Concrete. More work. Strongest. Post in contact with concrete may still rot out in 10 years. Difficult to replace. I only use cedar or treated wood post. Gravel at bottom, pack with dirt and make a dome around post at the top. Lasts LONG time. what percentage of the post is in the soil? 25%, 30% ?? |
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