Floating deck why not floating fence?

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Jungle

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I was watching this video as he doesn't put cement around the posts. Could this be done with fence posts as well? Seems like a good way to avoid rot?:hide:

watch


/watch?v=xMGgQAYOiM0
 
Never did put cement around any post we set on the farm and they lasted several years.
 
We just used treated posts on the farm (creosote back in the day)) to get about 10 years use from them.
 
So the concrete around the base of the post is not important?
 
I always use concrete.
Maybe if I tamped down the soil with a 2x4 pushrod and a sledge hammer I could get away with only soil but it seems to me that with only soil the rest of the fence is holding each post vertical rather than the post base.
 
I always use concrete.
Maybe if I tamped down the soil with a 2x4 pushrod and a sledge hammer I could get away with only soil but it seems to me that with only soil the rest of the fence is holding each post vertical rather than the post base.

What do you think is holding your post with a lump of concrete on it?
I have seen a fence blown over with a good wind, concrete and all, the soil was saturated , almost mud.
 
What do you think is holding your post with a lump of concrete on it?
I have seen a fence blown over with a good wind, concrete and all, the soil was saturated , almost mud.
I have to think about this.
With concrete in a hole the soil is already compacted and the concrete has more surface area to grab the soil but for low fences just soil may be enough.

I'll have to look in
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1888577959/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
the next time I'm at the library.

Probably the properties of the soil, the fence height and the post hole depth are the main considerations.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I was reading now to add sand with soil around the post instead of concrete.
I'm think 4-1/2' deep with 1/2' for the 1/2 bag of concrete at the bottom, then compact around the post when plum.
The good part of this is it makes it easy to replace in the future. He says 5 years with the concrete and 10+ with the sand.
 
We usually do the post so it is 1/3 in the ground so a 6' fence will have 3 ft in the ground. Sand and gravel are great fot drainage but if your soil does not drain water away it will just sit in water anyway. If you want easy change posts, concrete in 6" pipe up to ground level and drop your posts in. Before we used concrete we just smashed rocks down beside the post to hold stiff.
 
Sand will not pack as tight as clay soil, but it will drain better.
I set my posts in a 5 gallon bucket filled with concrete and then dig a deep hole and set the bucket down in it. Makes it pretty stable and easier to level because all you have to do is level the bucket.
 
My experience leans (no pun intended) away from using sand. if you've ever rocked any kind of post in a sand bank, you'll know that it's pretty easy to move.
 

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