I am clueless when it comes to building type work!
This fence post is rather wobbly cant really dig it out properly and start again. Is it possible to get a big dollop of concrete to stick properly or will it just crack again like this?
- Thread starter fizzy
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I am clueless when it comes to building type work!
This fence post is rather wobbly cant really dig it out properly and start again. Is it possible to get a big dollop of concrete to stick properly or will it just crack again like this?
steveo3002
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a dollop of concrete on the top wont help you
needs digging , IF the post is still sound then keep digging so theres enough room for a bag or two of postcrete , or whack one of those repair spurs in at least it will last
good chance its rotten once you get a close look
needs digging , IF the post is still sound then keep digging so theres enough room for a bag or two of postcrete , or whack one of those repair spurs in at least it will last
good chance its rotten once you get a close look
Migmac
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Not a big job digging that out and replacing it. Dig down the side where the metal clip is, if the post is wobbly chances are it’ll come out easy. Drive the new post in, tamp down the soil round the sides of the new post, should make it solid.
Post is probably shot Fizzy, dig down behind it and concrete/bolt in a spur.
If you add a concrete pillar to support the post if the bottom of the wooden post is rotting, would it be advisable to then cut off the bottom of the wooden post above the grade to help stop rot progressing further up into the wood, could then add preservative to the cut?
slim_boy_fat
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If the post is "wobbly" as said, my concern would be not so much that it's rotten, but there'll be a big lump of concrete below it with the rest of it still embedded in it. 
addjunkie
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That to me looks like its been put in with out enough post crete round it, so its cracked with the fence rattle or loading.
Id be very surprised if with a good wiggle, and a good bit of leverage from a crow bar against a big screw low down, and jumped on over a fulcrum it woulnt lift out.
Then put the new one in properly.
Id be very surprised if with a good wiggle, and a good bit of leverage from a crow bar against a big screw low down, and jumped on over a fulcrum it woulnt lift out.
Then put the new one in properly.
grim_d
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Spurs are all well and good for a quick semi permanent fix but they look pretty jenky and for all the extra work it would be you'd be just as well replacing the stab, especially as the original stab will continue to rot where it's in contact with the spur
Just prize off or unscrew the rails, there's plenty access there to dig a hole.
If it's a spiked stab Into the soil then no problem, dig out and sink new. (Into concrete or postcrete)
If it's in concrete then it's just as much hassle to break up for a spur as it is for a new stab.
Put a postsaver sleeve around it to make it last or dome the concrete above ground to divert moisture away and impede the nasties from eating the wood.
if digging is definitely not an option then I have seen repair spikes that you hammer into the ground next to the stab then screw onto what remains above ground, that's the easiest option....if there's no concrete of course.
Just prize off or unscrew the rails, there's plenty access there to dig a hole.
If it's a spiked stab Into the soil then no problem, dig out and sink new. (Into concrete or postcrete)
If it's in concrete then it's just as much hassle to break up for a spur as it is for a new stab.
Put a postsaver sleeve around it to make it last or dome the concrete above ground to divert moisture away and impede the nasties from eating the wood.
if digging is definitely not an option then I have seen repair spikes that you hammer into the ground next to the stab then screw onto what remains above ground, that's the easiest option....if there's no concrete of course.
bletchmonster
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I was brought up to respect my elders, hols the door for the fairer sex, keep my trap shut while chewing, use my pleases and thank you's and Never use concrete around a wooden post!!!!
It's just plain wrong. Should be laws against it. Just aint right. And on and on
It's just plain wrong. Should be laws against it. Just aint right. And on and on
Do you prefer to fix them straight in the ground or set a concrete foundation and then fasten to that at ground level?
brightspark
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just dig the hole get the wooden post and stick it in a bucket of genuine creosote for a week and concrete it in 
mine have lasted 30 years and still no rot. I treat them every 3 years
mine have lasted 30 years and still no rot. I treat them every 3 years
The_Yellow_Ardvark
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just dig the hole get the wooden post and stick it in a bucket of genuine creosote for a week and concrete it in
I soaked mine in old engine oil for about 10 days, before I fitted mine.
Apart from one breakage, car and fence post, the rest are still going strong.
Shedendman
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grim_d
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When done correctly stabs in concrete far far outlast ones sunk straight into the ground, you will notice with a rotten stab that it's gone where it meets the soil but around 200mm down it's perfect again, this is because the organisms that cause the rot cannot survive below this level.
Surrounding a post in concrete gives a physical barrier against this, just like using a postsaver, creosote, bitumen, old engine oil or even a plastic bag!
As it happens I am currently replacing the fence around my property, every stab in the soil gave way with rot and the fence collapsed, the 3 stabs at the front in concrete are still solid.
15 years ago I did a fence at my parents house, sunk into concrete and no other protection, still as good as the day they were sunk.
bletchmonster
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My experience is the opposite. The timber rots off at the top of the concrete as the moisture cannot drain away.
And then you have the joy of digging out said concrete.
