Comments on: How to Install Fence Posts in Concrete

on 4/21/2007 Save old posts: Where I live on the wet coast of Canada on southern Vancouver Island it's hard to keep up with the rot on the bottoms of the posts. I have resorted to scrounging pieces of i/4" thick 2"X2" or bigger angle iron. I cut them about 2 1/2 feet long and drill them with 7/16" holes about an inch from the end and then again about 8 inches or so up. I bolt that or use long lag screws to fasten the angle to the lower end of the post. I then embed the lower end of the angle iron in concrete taking care to first clean out the old post hole and maybe widen it a bit more. If you are lucky you won't have to actually remove the old post to do this and you will be able to get several more years use out of it.

on 4/21/2007 Save old posts: Where I live on the wet coast of Canada on southern Vancouver Island it's hard to keep up with the rot on the bottoms of the posts. I have resorted to scrounging pieces of i/4" thick 2"X2" or bigger angle iron. I cut them about 2 1/2 feet long and drill them with 7/16" holes about an inch from the end and then again about 8 inches or so up. I bolt that or use long lag screws to fasten the angle to the lower end of the post. I then embed the lower end of the angle iron in concrete taking care to first clean out the old post hole and maybe widen it a bit more. If you are lucky you won't have to actually remove the old post to do this and you will be able to get several more years use out of it.

on 11/22/2005 I am a contractor who runs 5 fence installing crews. When setting wooden posts we recommend using crushed gravel (compacted in the hole) instead of concrete. This allows moisture to drain away from the post and is far less prone to frost heaves in the winter. As long as the post is set in-ground a minimum of 1/4 the total post length it will set up as firm as concrete within a couple of weeks.

If you must use concrete:
Be forewarned that mixing in a wheelbarrow is a royal pain. Our preferred method of mixing is to pour a 50# bag of premix into a plastic 5 gallon pail, 1/2 bag at a time. Add water and mix with a short handled square blade garden shovel, in a washing machine agitator type motion. Continue to add water until the mix is very runny. Then add the last 1/2 of the bag to the pail and while continuing to mix, add just enough more water to give you a loose pourable consistency. Stand the post in the the correct location of your pre-dug hole and pour the concrete mix as evenly as possible. Use the shovel to move the concrete around in the hole if needed. Now level and true up your post. We recommend using 2 braces (scrap wood tacked to post at 90 degree angles for full lateral support) to hold post for 24 hours, 36 hours in cool or damp conditions. When you pull off the braces, the post should not move using this technique, and the concrete will not crack while hanging the fence.

on 11/22/2005 There is a product, called SuperPost, that will protect your wood posts from rotting and makes removing them really simple. They install into concrete the same way, but you slide the SuperPost onto your posts prior to setting them into the concrete. They have a watertight seal at the top to prevent moisture into the sleeve. They work really well. If you ever want to remove the posts, they simply slide out of the SuperPost. It's that easy.

on 11/22/2005 Our new house had a driveway. I rented a concrete cutter with a diamond blade. I cut a 2 foot by 2 foot section, and used a jackhammer to easily break it up.

on 11/22/2005 This suggestion is for galvanized fence posts. After the post is in place and plumb, add a small amount of concrete around the base of the post to form a tapered surface which slopes away from the post. The taper should be above the natural water line, so that water runs away from the post. If water is allowed to sit at the base of the post, the water will eventually attack the galvanizing and create a fine line of rust. It will also cut the fence post at the concrete. The rust line will appear as if someone had cut it with a torch.

on 11/22/2005 I used Basalite fence post concrete. On the bag, it suggested pouring the concrete mix directly into the post hole and then adding water. This is easy and works well. You need to make sure enough water gets through all of the concrete mix. I added water and used a trowel to "lightly" mix it in and then let water seep through as I was adding the concrete. Also, you need to add water onto the top a couple of times while it's still wet when waiting for it to dry. Cover the concrete mix in the post hole completely (not just wetting the surface).