Question about my crooked fence post I fixed last weekend

I put in a new wooden fence post three years ago and it started leaning bad after the first winter. Last Saturday I watched a video where a guy used a gravel layer at the bottom instead of just dirt and concrete, so I dug mine out and redid it that way. Has anyone else tried this method and had it hold up longer over time?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver_torres428d ago

That gravel layer trick sounds familiar. I tried it on my own post after my first one looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa after one season. Digging it out again was brutal, I was cussing like a sailor. But it's been two winters now and that post is still straight as an arrow. I'm almost scared to touch it again, might jinx the whole thing.

quinn_carr28d ago

Yeah the gravel thing works but you gotta get the depth right too. I dug my post three feet down and put six inches of gravel at the bottom before the concrete. That drainage is key for frost heave. But here's the thing - you also need a bell shape at the bottom of your hole, wider at the bottom than the top. If you just pour concrete straight down it can still tilt even with gravel. I learned that the hard way on my second post.