Bloody winds - fence posts

[Tom JE]

Hi chaps,

Part of our fence blew down last night, only 2 panels came clean off but 3 posts are loose. I want to take out the old posts and it looks like they will come out with the concrete attached. Whats the best way to go about fitting new posts in the existing hole? I'm worried that the soil around the hole will now be disturbed? I have read many pros and cons for using ready mixed concrete / aggregate (such as post-crete), has anybody got any recommendations on what brand to go for? Also, are there any tips on making sure the new post is completely secure (somebody suggested making a bowl shape in the bottom of the hole to anchor the concrete down???)

Any help would be well appreciated....

Tom

 

[Thermo]

dig the bottom of the hole out so it forms a bell shape, ie its wider at the bottom rather than the top. We always use the hanson premix stuff as its got a good mix of aggregates in it. Make sure you ram it well home whilst its dry. Avoid the blue circle stuff. Get the posts in and leave them as long as possible before putting up the new panels.

 

[Tom JE]

Thanks Thermo,

Thats some handy info there! Is there any "rule of thumb" as to how much of the post needs to go into the ground? The posts that i'm going to replace only appear to be in the ground about a foot (they hold up 6ft panels plus a further 6 inches as "decoration")?

Cheers

Tom

 

[masona]

Generally speaking 1/3 in the ground

 

[Thermo]

minimum 2 feet. keep the hole as small as possible. you will find it a lot easier if you use a trenching spade. they are about £15 from wickes etc. Anyway must go, got to go and put up another fence today, only the 4th weve repaired today!

 

[fencer]

Your busy aswell then Thermo, good for the bankbalance these high winds arent they
I'm averaging 6 calls aday cheered her indoors up no end having to keep answering the blower, now booked up for the next three weeks with loads of those nice little easy money jobs spurs ect + a couple of closeboard jobs.

Tom as thermo say's use 8' post with a minimum of 2' in the hole. using a graft will keep the hole small.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...9109534-3960653?ie=UTF8&n=11052651&s=diytools

 

[Thermo]

only trouble with the repair jobs is the ones where youve just got to put one post back, soda law its under a patio on one side, with the biggest lump of concrete youve ever seen. people then wonder why it costs!

oh well musnt grumble. my fencing supplier says the winds over the last months have made all the difference to him. he normally pays to keep the place open in january and february. ones mans misfortune, is anothers fortune!

 

[2scoops0406]

The winds certainly proved one thing to me, 3 inch fence posts are useless, 4 inch post are so much stronger. As for how deep the posts should go, if you have a 6 foot panel, then you should buy a 9 foot post, just under a third should be buried.

The advice already given about keeping the hole small by using a trenching spade is top. Getting the old posts out is surprisingly difficult, I've been helping my neighbour remove a snapped 4 inch post that unluckily for us has been metaposted, I think we may have to wrap a chain around it and take the 4x4 for a spin !

 

[Thermo]

met posts are a pain, but should come out fairly easily. Dig a small hole around the top, until you expose the lower part of the square bit. Then get a large pry bar, spade or pole and you should be able to lever it up.

good luck....met posts are on a par with expanding foam

 

[2scoops0406]

Thanks for the advice, we tried that today, but what with all the rain we've had the ground is so soft, there's no purchase to be had. I'm afraid is a dig wiggle, hit with hammer, cup o' tea, hit with hammer, dig, swear a bit, brute force type of job.

Now of course if a were a pro, I buy two new posts and a new panel, cut the panel in half, then stagger the posts, and forget about the meta

 

[Thermo]

put a length of timber 4 x 2 or scaffold board on the ground and use that to get the leverage on

 

[2scoops0406]

We tried that, but it really is so wet round here, everything just sinks into the ground boards included (or the slabs we put down just snapped). Guy down from us has an engine hoist, we may give that a go tomorrow, failing that I think we're just gonna hit it (crude, but eventually effective)

Oh, forgot to add that someone has attempted to stabilise the post in the past by adding a ring of concrete around the spike, thanks for that.

 

[Deluks]

We tried that, but it really is so wet round here, everything just sinks into the ground boards included (or the slabs we put down just snapped). Guy down from us has an engine hoist, we may give that a go tomorrow, failing that I think we're just gonna hit it (crude, but eventually effective)

Oh, forgot to add that someone has attempted to stabilise the post in the past by adding a ring of concrete around the spike, thanks for that.

Logic tells me that drilling out the old timber and reusing the metpost would be the easiest way. If the met is that firmly in, and the 4" post snapped off rather then the metpost shifting, then it must be in there nice and tight.

 

[Tom JE]

Chaps,

Sorry to bring this back up again. i found yesterday that whoever replaced the posts before had dug a really wide hole and filled with concrete. I have had to dig around the concrete to get it out leaving me with an even wider hole - approx 2ft diameter at the top. I would like to put the posts back in these holes as i dont have time to redo the whole fence. Is there a way to narrow down these holes prior to fitting the post and concreting? I was thinking of adding hardcore to the inside of the hole to narrow it out a bit, would this work??

Thanks

Tom

 

[Thermo]

yes it will provided you ram the hardcore home well (use brick bats or similar), and leave gaps for the concrete to get through