Friday, May 20, 2011

How to put a post in the ground: The RIGHT Way!

As the saying goes: "A fence is only as strong as the posts it hangs on."  Well maybe this isn't a popular saying, but it's 100% true!  When considering a fence builder, it is very important to ask how they set their posts in the ground.  There are LOTS of short cuts that company's will take when putting the post in the ground, so before you simply pick the absolute lowest bidder and hope the fence is installed correctly, ask for details about how they are planning on building your fence.  


WOOD, ALUMINUM, & PVC FENCES
The proper way to put a wood, aluminum, or PVC post in the ground is to dig a 10" to 14" wide hole and set the post using a wet-mix concrete.  Depending on the height of the fence will determine how deep to dig the hole, but a good rule of thumb is to dig your hole at minimum of 1/3 of the height of the fence (for example a 6' tall fence would have their posts set at a minimum of 2' in the ground).  

Don't end up with this! And no, we did not put that post in the ground!
BEWARE... There are many "cheaper" fence companies that will cut corners and set their posts using a "dry-mix" concrete so that they don't have to wait for concrete to set up, but THIS IS NOT how concrete was intended to be used - just read the directions on the next bag of concrete that you buy!  Putting dry concrete in the ground without mixing it with water will leave you with voids in the concrete and posts that will always be loose in the ground.

CHAIN LINK
There are 2 methods of putting a chain link fence post in the ground.  (1) Manually or hydraulically driving the post, or (2) digging a hole and setting the post in a wet-mix concrete.  Both methods are just as strong as the other, but there are limitations to driving the posts. On 4 foot and shorter fences, the most common method is hydraulically driving the posts in the ground.  No holes need to be dug so you don't have to worry about what to do with the leftover dirt from the holes and the job can be completed a little faster than setting the posts in concrete. The posts are driven nearly 40 inches in the ground on a 4' tall fence, so you have nearly as much post in the ground as what's above the ground!  On fences taller than 4', we recommend setting the posts in the ground using a wet-mix concrete.
 



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