jvw Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Anyone have suggestions for replacing a rotted fence post that sits in standing water part of the year? It's the second post in at the end of a line so it needs to hold a cross support. Thanks for any advice Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Hey there- what I have seen done is to a) move the post use a post made up of that manufactured- can't think of the name now... they make Trex decking... Also, you will need to cement anything you put in. One good thing is to plant some willows- I just put some in in an area of my yard that is interminably wet, and they sucked up the water. They can be invasive, but I am really happy with them! Julie Anyone have suggestions for replacing a rotted fence post that sits in standing water part of the year? It's the second post in at the end of a line so it needs to hold a cross support. Thanks for any advice Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pax Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 My ex planted really long locust posts in big buckets of concrete. When the concrete dried he used the tractor to pull them and drop them in the hole, then buried the whole thing. It worked a treat, those fences were still standing last time I drove past there. ETA Trex would be a better choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 If you do anything with concrete, make sure that all the concrete is below the frost line. If it's in ground that heaves, concrete around a post does nothing other than give the frost more surface area to push on and push the fence up. Personally, I would much rather have a post driven than dug in. I think I would actually be inclined to go with black locust in preference to a composite material because of the strength factor. A post at the end of the line takes a lot of strain, and my impression of the composite fenceposts that I have seen is that they are not really strong enough for anything other than line posts. Black locust, even untreated, is more durable and stronger than most PT posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 What's a frost line, Bill? Willows - what a great idea. I've got a place I need to do that, down near our big pond. They would look gorgeous there, too, and there's plenty of room for them to spread. Has anyone ever used river birches for the same purpose? I want to put some in, in a wet spot at the bottom of our drive. I saw in a book where they'd put in a horizontal anchor type of construction for soft soil (I'm sure there is a technical term but an engineer I be not). Similiar to the bucket of concrete idea, but it was a footer of wood. That would be a TON of work, but if you absolutely had to put a post in really soft soil, that would be one idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 Willows are messy trees that live between 10 and 25 years and when they die or blow over the wood is useless. I have to admit that I do forget there are people who chose to live where there is no winter. Bizarre choice, but there's no accounting for taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 Willows come in two varieties- tree and shrub. I have the dwarf shrub which gets about 4-5 feet tall and very wide. They also have standard shrub varieties which mature at about 10-12 ft. All I know is I put one shrub in standing water, and it took off. Gotta love it Now, the place where the dogs went which was always so wet is no more- which means a cleaner house for me Oh, and they are very affordable. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pax Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 caution about willows near ponds with retaining walls roots eat retaining walls "what's a frost line?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 No retaining wall where I'd put the willow(s) - natural area. And if they die in 10 years if would be Not Our Problem - we are renting, with license to do anything we want to this place as long as it Looks Good. I'd love to fix the standing water in that spot - otherwise the sheep will trample it once we fence it in and make a muddy mess of it. Hmmm. Winter is highly over-rated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvw Posted May 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 Thank you for the replies. First, we actually have a VERY large willow near the house. I HATE that tree. What a mess. Did I say how much I HATE that tree? It was supposed to come down this year but now its on hold until next year. We did take cuttings, rooted them, and have planted a bunch over in that very wet area FAR FAR FAR away from the house and yard. We'll see what takes. As far as the fence line, the post does not have to take a whole lot of strain. It will be a short section of fence pulling on it. Maybe about 30 feet. We are putting a good solid wood post "N" or "H" where the ground is dry and solid and continuing the rest of the line from that point. I like the idea of not digging and just driving in the post. But I'm just not sure I can find a black locust post. Thanks again for all the ideas Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach BCs Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Winter is highly over-rated. I wholeheartedly agree. And I love weeping willows... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleverColliesDeb. Posted June 25, 2007 Report Share Posted June 25, 2007 Anyone have suggestions for replacing a rotted fence post that sits in standing water part of the year? It's the second post in at the end of a line so it needs to hold a cross support. Thanks for any advice Jennifer I`m a bit late with this Jennifer, but it might help somebody else....this page URL has a paragraph on fencing 'wet soil' & many other pages (in the index) on walling and gating techniques/solutions. http://handbooks.btcv.org.uk/handbooks/content/section/3295 Best regards, Deb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvw Posted June 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2007 Thank you Deb. Ironic that you brought this up now. We replaced 2/3 of that fence line this weekend. The part on high ground with lots of trees and super hard compact clay! I'm kinda looking forward to the soft soil! If it stays as dry as it has been we should be replacing that last section in August. Since this is not a super long term place for me I've decided to just use a regular treated post 10 foot, dig just part of the hole, and hopefully drive the post in as much as possible. It doesn't have to last a lifetime! Thanks again Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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