Is it ok to build a small section of fence (7 ft) and not cement the post in?
Question:I just built a small section of privacy fence (wood) that is about 7 feet long. The wood is treated and I put the two posts two feet in the ground and packed the dirt as I filled the hole. Is this going to be ok or am I going to have to tear it out and cement the section in?
Answers:
There is good advice here already. Concrete is not necessary and often not preferred. This is probably after the fact, but for future reference and to substantiate your decision here are some excerpts from this website: http://www.taylorrental.com/tip_detail.a...
You can anchor the posts more firmly by making the holes slightly larger at the bottom than at the top. Place a large stone or two shovels full of gravel in the bottom of each hole. This provides drainage to avoid excessive moisture at the base of each post.
Set all wood fence posts with about 1/3 of their total length buried in the ground. This is especially important on corner posts and any posts that will carry heavy weight or withstand high wind pressure.
You can pack the posts with either dirt or concrete. In either case, place two or three shovels full of gravel in the bottom of each hole before the post is placed into position. This allows for better water drainage.
It'll be fine for a while. Over the years it may lean. But depending on what your dirt is like, it will take a while.
It is okay temporarily. Ideally you should have cemented it but if you packed it well it will be okay for a while.
Ramming the soil and or adding gravel and ramming that is better than concrete. Your degree of ramming needs to be extremely through. Ram it after a rain too, with a small diameter steel stake. Not a big one.
For a few $ more you can go to home depot and buy the fence spikes for putting up your fence and it is as strong as concrete. you put in place and use scrap 4X4 piece wood to hammer it into ground with a heavy hammer and then mount your post to it and it is a very strong structure. I did over 400' of fence using this method about 5 years ago and it is still up and still straight...they are about 3.5 ft long and steel and strong...no mess mixing concrete and no digging either.
If the section in the ground is at least 30" to 36" deep and the above ground height is 72" you should be able to just tamp the dirt in the hole as tight as possible. If you have sandy soil it might be best to put some dry mix concrete in the hole. You do not have to add water, just the dry mix. the moisture from the ground will solidify the concrete.
I built a similar section quite a wile ago,like split rail fence. I used a tamper(top end of digging iron) and added some grapefruit sized rocks to help fill in the whole around the posts, that I sank about 2 feet. I tamped them down quite hard,plumbing up the post as I went, until the whole was tightly filled with rocks and soil combination. Its still standing after 18 years.
Depends on how long you want the fence to last.
If your ground freezes where you live, I'd give it two winters - if you're lucky. If not, maybe 3 or 4.
For along lasting fence, posts should be at least 3-4 feet into the ground and cemented in a sono tube.
Why not do it the right way the first time?! Each post should be cemented, it's just the rule of thumb for building a fence.
More Related Questions & Answers...