Reinforcing Concrete support for Deck

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AZHomeOwner

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Hi all, I have a house in northern AZ that is on a slope, and a wooden deck that is supported by steel posts that are anchored in the ground with concrete. One of the posts on the downward sloping side has been eroding due to the tremendous rainfall we've received. I know I have to work on the drainage so it doesn't keep degrading, but I am concerned that the erosion might be compromising the foundation. I've attached some pictures. Should I try to reinforce the concrete myself in order to prevent further erosion and perhaps increase the stability of the footing? What other options are there to reinforce the support?
 

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I would first direct that downspout further away from the base of your deck. That is washing out the ground right at the base of your deck. Is the ground washed out below the actual footer or is it still buried? What is your freeze/thaw cycle like in your area? I guess that depends on elevation in AZ. If the base is still buried you may be able to just backfill around the post and compact the soil. But if you continue to dump water on the ground from 2' up you'll continue to have washout problems.
 
Welcome to the forum.



I would say you have a serious enough problem made worse by the drainpipe and the gutter drain.



You need to stabilize the area around the footing and I’m not sure the best way to do that based around the photos. You need to extend and redirect the drain pipe and gutter drain away from that area. You need to reshape the natural drainage away from the footing, and if possible get some vegetation growth on the slope. If that isn’t possible some kind of gravel that will stop the erosion below it.

We don’t really know how deep your footing were placed that would be helpful in knowing.
 
Thanks for the replies. I am planning on extending the drainpipe and redirecting the drainage away from the area. I do not know how deep the footings were placed but this one is not totally washed out, and I was thinking about adding more concrete and soil to reinforce the area. Adding gravel below is also a good suggestion, to prevent erosion.
 
First thing is stop the erosion. Adding concrete to the surface won't really do much IMHO. If the bottom of the footing is exposed, going deeper and getting concrete under the footing would be helpful, you'd need to temporarily support that post while the work was being done. Adding concrete not under the post would just be a more durable top layer, but not provide more structural support.
 
Yes, I am working on stopping the erosion with a French drain (but having a hard time digging the trench in the hard ground). And also extending the spout so it doesn't land on the post. Would adding concrete on top also help with the erosion? Or would gravel be enough?
 

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