fence panel repair

Bear in mind that your talking to a novice here!

I have a fence in my garden which comprises of wooden panels, concrete posts and gravel boards

one of the panels constantly falls out so I want to ask two questions...

1) It looks as if the people who put the posts in originally, left too much space between them, so when i pop the panel back in, it flaps about in the wind and eventually falls back out again!...i'm looking for a simple way of being able to put the panel back in, without it falling back out again the next time we have a gust of wind!

Any help would be good ( i'd rather not have to dig the posts out and start again, a "work-around" would suit me!)

2) One other panel also needs replacing, but its 7feet tall - i dont fancy the prospect of being up a set of ladders trying to drop a 7 foot panel through the top of the posts to get it in place - is there any other technique i can use to get the panel in place

1/ screw a strap of wood to the end of the panel to increase its length.

2/ get someone to help you slot the panel in.

I was hoping there might be an alternative to dropping it in through the top of the posts...my wife would be assisting but unfortunately shes a complete pygmy !

cant think of an alternative method barring bending the panel or moving the imoevable posts lol.

yes there is an alternative. Most fence panels have some give in them, especially if wet. Slot the panel into one side, about 1/2 to 2/3rd of the way down. The other side can be bent to get into towards the other slot and pryed into the slot with the aid of a couple of crow bars. If necessary take the capping rail off of the top to make it more pliable.

With the flapping panel, see what width extra you have got, then drop a batten to roughly that size down the slot, and screw the panel to it.

kier - follow Thermo's excellent advice but ensure the batten you drop down the groove in the post is pressure treated to resist rot/insect attack (usually a 1.8m length of tile batten from a shed or timber yard and costing a quid will do). If you fence has been previously stained also do this to the batten (before you put it in place) so it matches.