Split-Rail Fence...

aldy54

I installing a split-rail fence around the property and am torn whether to use concrete, modified stone, or just packed soil around the posts. The posts are treated however I have heard that when packed in concrete or just soil the post rot much quicker than with stone. What do you all think?

troubleseeker

I would go with the stone first, second choice of soil , and definately no concrete. You are right in that setting a wood post in concrete just speeds up the rotting of the post.

Darylh

Stone has always been a good choice but I have always been lery of the fact that how do you get the post stable and stay stable over the years, but make sure there is a couple of inches at the bottom of the hole before installing the post. Bring the stone to the top of the hole and do not let bare soil touch the post.
By the way one of the biggest reasons people have with rotten posts with concrete is 1- they do not put any gravel at the bottom of the post for water to drain away and 2- they do not allow the concrete to come up past ground level. I always cement them in now and have not had any issues yet.

Kev

Make sure the hole is a few inches deeper than the post. Use a road rock to fill around the post. It has a lot of "fines" in it and will pack well, however, it will also allow drainage. The key is to have good drainage at the bottom of the hole so the post does not set in water for an extended period. If you fill the rock to the top of the hole, you will reduce the amound of weed eating around the post.

troubleseeker

[quote=Darylh;36611]Stone has always been a good choice but I have always been lery of the fact that how do you get the post stable and stay stable over the years, but make sure there is a couple of inches at the bottom of the hole before installing the post. Bring the stone to the top of the hole and do not let bare soil touch the post.
By the way one of the biggest reasons people have with rotten posts with concrete is 1- they do not put any gravel at the bottom of the post for water to drain away and 2- they do not allow the concrete to come up past ground level. I always cement them in now and have not had any issues yet.[/quote

Agreed, I should have elaborated more on the stone at the botttom of the hole, but I always envision the typical installation where someone throws two shovels of concrete in the hole, sticks the post in, then fills with concrete, thus forming a concrete boot around the wood.

If you use a smaller screen size of stone 3/4" or so, and pack it as you fill, it will hold the post ridgid, just like the concrete. All you are doing is increasing the diameter of the collar around the post to provide more surface area against lateral movement, it has nothing to do with "concrete" per say as most people believe.

Darylh

Agreed, I should have elaborated more on the stone at the botttom of the hole, but I always envision the typical installation where someone throws two shovels of concrete in the hole, sticks the post in, then fills with concrete, thus forming a concrete boot around the wood.
Well you got that right, totaly defeats the purpose.
Here where I live we get a lot of high winds that rock the fences so that's why I cement them in now. I make a form that allows 2" of concrete around the post and lay it on the concrtete after the hole is full and then top it off tapering the top. This also keeps the weedeaters away from the wood. If you do go with rock get some lawn edging and create a boarder around the post or I have even seen BigO pipes used.

lksong

The best way to install a wood fence in the ground is to first apply a nice coat of tar on the bottom of the wood. dig your hole with the bottom being wider in circumference then the top...(this will stop post heaving due to the frost line) pour in your concrete and go. the most prone spots for a wood fence to start to rot are the bottom and the top, this is where the most aging of the wood occurs, be sure to put a nice layer of tar on this as well.
Any more questions and answers can be found on my website...
www.aluminumfencespecialists.com