Jesseew77

I'm building a new fence behind my house. Due to time constraints (and DIY) we are building it in steps. Our first step was to put 4x4 posts into the ground, in concrete. Everything went well and was perfectly plumb, sans one solitary rogue post.

It warped something aweful and no amount of fudging will fix it or make it look ok. So, my question is how do i go about a repair without completely tearing out the concrete?

My idea was some type of post connector. Saw the post off before it warps, perhaps 10 inches above the ground. Then, use some type of galvanized connector to butt a new post to the existing post in the ground. I can't seem to find one of these peices online?

Any ideas? Thanks!

Square Eye

You can scab a piece on, but it will never be as strong as a replacement. 2 right angle brackets will work if you insist on doing that. You should be able to find something that will work at your local home center with the metal joist hangers and truss brackets.

Seriously though, this is usually such a bad idea that I don't think anyone would warranty a splicing bracket/sleeve if they did make one.

Come to think of it, I think there is a bracket for splicing a mailbox post to a short post. Keep in mind, a mailbox weighs very little. A fence with the wind blowing against it will see quite a bit of leverage against the post.

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woodworkingmenace

When you cut the treated lumber, it seems to have a tendency to warp and bow and cup and do all sorts of twisted things, unless you seal the edges. I did this to my deck/porch. I sealed one, (really by accident) and not the other, and the other warped on me while the painted one, was perfectly straight.... And I wasnt about to rip the entire deck off to get the one straight, so I left it... hmmm
Yep, thats me, crooked like a dogs leg, but, it works and no one complained yet...(basically, I notice, but no one else does, but, what person wont critique his/her own work, eh?)...


My thoughts as they are...

Jesse

Jesseew77

I guess I will try the splicing method as I just can't imagine how I would pull up 150lbs of concrete on the end of an 8 foot pole. The post is a corner one and wind shouldnl't be a problem. We're surrounded by trees and the wind never gets bad.

I guess I can frankenstein it with some galvanized plates but boy will that look bad. If all else fails and/or it looks like crap, i'll just take it out and try again.

inspectorD

How far into the concrete is this post?
Why dont you first cut it off then drill out the remains, This may take a little doing but noit(Larry,Curly and mo reference) as bad a the whole enchilada.

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PaPaDan

Don't waste time and money on a patch job. Rock it back and forth a few times to loosen it up and pull it out. Put in a new post. Now that it is too late I can tell you that treated posts should not be concreted in. They will hold moisture and rot away a lot faster than just setting them with packed dirt. A few inches of gravel under them helps with moisture drain too.

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Jesseew77

Well. I cut the post off slowly with a 18 TPI sawzall blade and it ended up almost perfectly level top surface. The 12 inches above the ground remained plumb (before it warped). I purchased about 4 different brackets that could have worked, and i end up using one shaped like a "U" with a flat bottom and upward wings on two sides.

I screwed this to the flattened post stub and screwed some 2x4s to the sides of the stub on the open sides of the "U" bracket creating 4 sides, two of which were perfectly plumb. Then I only had to adjust one direction to remain plumb.

I got it plumb, secured it with some scrap wood and screwed through the metal sides of the "U" into the new post section. I then removed the 2x4s on the sides of the post stub. That left a post with decent support. I then took some 4x6 galvanized "things" with 100ish spikes on the backside (I think they are used for framing) and I hammered them in the open sides of the "U" covering both the old post stub and new post section.

The result, one of my most plumb posts. Strength..well, its at least as good as the other post. After attaching the fence sections, it doesn't budge even 1/2 inch. I"m satisified. As for the galvanized metal, we sanded it and painted it a tan color to match the wood. Its barely noticeable unless someone points it out.

As for the pressure treated lumber not being in concrete..oops, never heard that before. Monkey see, monkey do, its how the neighbors did it. I also learned about post "sleeves", which, had I known of, I would have used. 20/20 after the fact eh?

Problem solved.

Daryl in Nanoose

I find just keeping the dirt off posts will extend the life of a treated 4x4

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asbestos

The important thing with treated wood (besides not burning it) it to seal all end cuts with a preservative solution.

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