I am replacing about 125 feet of six foot solid wood fence on a slope. We have high winds here on occasion which has not done the fence any good–blew it down in a couple of places. Winds have ranged as high as 80 MPH.
So my thought is to replace it with chain link (aesthetics are not a great factor here) which I think would reduce the wind pressure on the fence.
Presently most of the fence posts are rotten so that removing them from the existing concrete footings should be fairly easy. I will install the chain link with steel posts. My question: can I set the new steel posts in the existing footings with mortar, concrete, or grout backfill? Obviously grout is the most expensive and might be overkill. So would mortar or concrete be satisfactory and long lasting?
Thanks
Replies
if i understand what ur say'n... you are leave'n the concrete base in place... and the wood is so rotted that you have a sq hole left in the ground ? then yes... never done it but i would... heck i think sand with just a little portland would hold the post fine... ur put'n a 2" post in a 3.5" sq hole... it can't go far...
even if you had to cut your wood off even with the ground... i'm not sure you couldn't center drill it for your new steel posts...
sounds like something I'd try
p
Edited 9/19/2008 4:21 pm ET by ponytl
Those posts may be loose, but I would bet some semi-serious money that you can only remove (easily, anyway) about the upper 6", or so. From there down, I'll bet that they're solidly encased in the concrete.
Wood posts set in concrete usually rot off within a few inches of grade, but the rest is just fine.
If I were you, I would set over 12", or so, and start fresh. If you're going with chain link fencing, the steel posts will probably be better.
Actually I have taken out three of them so far and they seem to be rotted all the way down. Getting them out does not seem to be a problem. Since the sockets seem to be in good shape, I am looking for an alternative to replacing them.
Lion,Since the wood is coming out of the concrete easily, I'd go for it. Sand mix ought to be plenty strong for setting the steel posts. 1 part portland to 4 parts sand, add water to make it semifluid, and you are off to the races.Billedited for typo
Edited 9/19/2008 2:30 pm by BillBrennen
I agree with the others that you should be able to do it with simple bag mix. Even the bagged "concrete" mix has aggregate so small that it should work without difficulty.
One thing you want to do, though, is verify that the existing concrete is not rocking in its hole. If it is you need to dig it out and re-pour.
I've done it.
Took an old big drill bit and welded it to a piece of drill rod about 3' long so you can stand up and drill . Use that to demo the ones that don't come out in one piece.
Shop vac will suck out the pieces.
Sack crete would probably work well for your steel posts.
Joe H
Greetings
Thanks for all of the responses from everyone. I am going to use ideas from several people that suggest drilling out problem posts, using a vacuum to pick out the debris, and refilling the holes with bagged concrete.
Thanks