[Tomperro]

Hello,
I have a broken 4x4 fence post that is cemented into my patio that has broken level to the concrete.

Can someone offer me some tips on how I go about repairing or replacing the post?

I know I have to remove the post and should probably break up the cement around the post and then replace the post and pour new cement, but I was wondering if there is a way to do this without breaking up the cement patio and repouring cement.

Thanks!!

 

[tpolk]

a good drill with a long auger bit may allow you to drill out most of the wood. a digging bar or a long homemade mortis type chisel for the rest. You may find once the holes are drilled the post will break out in long sections. Possible also to drill perimeter to loosen post place eye bolt in center and fulcrum out

 

[Tomperro]

how can I replace the post without breaking up the concrete?

Shouldnt I break away some of the cement large enough around the post and repour cement to stabalize the new post?

Can I get away with just removing the old post and pouring a little cement into the existing hole?

Thanks,

 

[tpolk]

is this a corner or in line? is this in a slab? pics would help. how deep is post? how thick is concrete, all these come into play

 

[tpolk]

if post in slab is not rotten you could run a long 3/4' lag pointed on both ends, then turn post down until tight to slab

 

[Tomperro]

the post is in the concrete slab, second pot from the corner. the slab is not rotten but the post cracked right at the base. I can try to get some photos later.

not sure what you mean by the lags

 

[fabrk8r]

Double ended lag screw

 

[tpolk]

sorry cant remember the name of lag. you would drill a pilot hole in post and in slab remnant. Wrench lag into post then screw lag/ post into remnant until tight to slab. should be able to locate thru lumber company

 

[Ron6519]

What you would do is based on how the concrete was wrapped around the post. If the concrete is tight around the post and not cracked, I would just remove the wood in the hole and replace the post in the hole. The hole just has to be deep enough. If you can't get that deep with the concrete in place. Remove it, dig the hole deeper with a post hole digger.
Put angular gravel in the bottome 6" of the hole. Place the post in the hole and fill around the perimeter with the same angular gravel, compacting every 4" or so. You can put the gravel all the way to the top or fill the last 4" with concrete.
The gravel keeps water away from the post
Ron

 

[CoconutPete]

What is the shortest distance from the hole to the side of the slab?

 

[Vincer]

I had the same problem. A post ROTTED in half. It was mush, I dug out the remaining post with MY FINGERS because it was such garbage. And this post held my backyard gate AND my neighbours gate. I dug out the stuff, cleaned the hole as best as I could, then just shoved a new pressure treated post in there and added concrete in a mound around the original hole with the new post in it. The hole was just deep enough that without my mound of concrete the it was still pretty stable, but I mounded concrete around it so that water would not pool at the foot of the post.

In retrospect, what I would do now in your situation is;
1) Clean the post out of the hole
2) Clean the hole really well
3) Undercut the hole if possible, ie cut out some material near the bottom of the hole if possible
4) Use concrete bonding stuff on the sides of the hole
5) Pour concrete into the hole
6) embed a Simpson Post Base http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/PB-PBS.asp#gallery
7) attach a new post to the post base

Instead of an embeded post base, you could also embed a threaded rod so that you can attach a post base to the rod, but I think a simpson PB44 would be simpler.

I'm not sure how stable the post bases are versus a post that has been embeded in concrete. For an embedded post, you could push on the side pretty hard and it wouldn't be knocked over. I guess if you use nails in all the holes of the metal post base, it would be similarly stable? But again, it's just a fence post.

Vince

 

[Ron6519]

I had the same problem. A post ROTTED in half. It was mush, I dug out the remaining post with MY FINGERS because it was such garbage. And this post held my backyard gate AND my neighbours gate. I dug out the stuff, cleaned the hole as best as I could, then just shoved a new pressure treated post in there and added concrete in a mound around the original hole with the new post in it. The hole was just deep enough that without my mound of concrete the it was still pretty stable, but I mounded concrete around it so that water would not pool at the foot of the post.

In retrospect, what I would do now in your situation is;
1) Clean the post out of the hole
2) Clean the hole really well
3) Undercut the hole if possible, ie cut out some material near the bottom of the hole if possible
4) Use concrete bonding stuff on the sides of the hole
5) Pour concrete into the hole
6) embed a Simpson Post Base http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/PB-PBS.asp#gallery
7) attach a new post to the post base

Instead of an embeded post base, you could also embed a threaded rod so that you can attach a post base to the rod, but I think a simpson PB44 would be simpler.

I'm not sure how stable the post bases are versus a post that has been embeded in concrete. For an embedded post, you could push on the side pretty hard and it wouldn't be knocked over. I guess if you use nails in all the holes of the metal post base, it would be similarly stable? But again, it's just a fence post.

Vince

Having a post sitting on top of the concrete would not support the weight and movement of the gate. In this case you would need to bury the post or pole, deep into the ground and support it with the concrete.
Ron