10
My neighbor in Phoenix watched me struggle with a fence post for 20 minutes before saying anything.
I was trying to set a 4x4 cedar post in concrete for a new backyard fence. The hole kept collapsing in the dry, sandy soil. After watching me from his porch, he walked over and said, 'Kid, you're fighting the dirt. Wet it down first, pack it in layers.' He showed me how to pour a gallon of water into the hole, let it soak, then tamp the soil before adding the concrete mix. It worked perfectly and saved me a ton of backfill mix. Anyone have other tricks for setting posts in really sandy ground?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
anderson.david5d ago
That "wet it down first" advice is solid. My buddy in Tucson had the same issue with a gate post. He ended up using a sonotube form inside the hole before pouring the concrete. The cardboard tube kept the sand from mixing in and collapsing the whole thing while it set.
6
gracewebb5d ago
Yeah, that sonotube trick is a total game changer for sandy soil. @anderson.david, your buddy in Tucson had the right idea. Trying to pour concrete straight into a hole that just caves in is like trying to fill a colander with water. The cardboard form is the only way to actually get a solid post base without wasting a whole bag of mix. I learned that the hard way on a fence project last summer.
1
ray3635d ago
Gracewebb, that sonotube trick sounds like extra work when wetting the dirt first gets the job done.
2