Debate: My old foreman said set posts in concrete no matter what, but a new crew told me gravel backfill is better

I learned from a guy with 30 years experience that concrete is the only way to keep a gate from sagging, but after digging up a rotted post last week (in damp Ohio clay) I'm thinking maybe he was wrong. Which method do you trust for long-term stability in wet ground?

2 comments

2 Comments

williamd7014d ago

Ha! Sounds like your foreman and that new crew need to arm wrestle it out. I've seen both rotted and busted posts from both methods honestly. Concrete can trap water against the wood if you don't slope the top right, and gravel lets it drain but might not hold a heavy gate as steady. I'd say try gravel on a corner post first and see if it shifts on you, because digging up concrete sucks way more than dry gravel.

patricianguyen14d ago

Oh come on, @williamd70, I gotta push back on that. Concrete is way more reliable for a gate that swings every day, gravel just shifts and settles over time then you're shimming it or redoing it anyway. Plus if you do concrete right with a gravel base and the top mounded away from the post, water doesn't really pool against it.