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  1. #1

    sinking some posts, problem with water

    Sorry if this has already been covered before but I couldn't find anything when searching. I want to sink a few posts near our fire pit so I can set my hammock up. Only problem is after you do down about a foot and a half the holes start to fill up with water. I just removed a bunch of old railroad ties and a few newer treated fence posts the other day all of which were severely rotten. What's the best way to prevent this from happening? Would some sort of metal piping be a better option?

  2. #2
    Senior Member old4hats's Avatar
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    Wow, high water table. One option could be to build a frame structure with an open work top. This would give strength to hang, a place to plant a few flowers(makes the women happy) and solve the rot problem by setting everything up on blocks.

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    Senior Member bowl-maker's Avatar
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    That much water will make the concrete weak...18 inches may be as far as you need to go. It looks like Richmond building code requires footings to be 18 inches deep to be below the frost line, so you probably don't need to dig any deeper.
    I would probably stop at 18 inches, fill the bottom inch with gravel, put in the pole, fill around the pole about 2-3 inches with gravel, and fill the rest with concrete. If you are concerned about stability you can dig the hole wider, and mushroom out the bottom of the hole.

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    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    I have a high water table in my yard and I definitely subscribe to filling the bottom of the hole with gravel. I also drill holes through the post, and hammer some 3 ft. rebar through it at right angles (requires a larger hole).
    Finally, I pour a foot or two of cement. This creates a pretty darn good anchor. I haven't had a post move yet.

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    Senior Member XTrekker's Avatar
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    I have the same problem. 14" deep will hit water..I would go a good 2' down with 6" of gravel or more under the post and fill with concrete..

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    Senior Member pgibson's Avatar
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    My well is only 480 feet deep..... ;( Think I have the opposite problem.
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  7. #7
    Thanks for the input, looks like I'm going to need some concrete.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    You could use a sonotube as a caisson while the concrete sets. As you add the concrete to the tube, the water that pools at the bottom will be forced out the top. The concrete will take a little longer to totally set, but it will be a solid anchor.

    Who'd of thought that summer job drilling caissons would come in handy for a hammock discussion?
    Trust nobody!

  9. #9
    Senior Member JohnSawyer's Avatar
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    Re: sinking some posts, problem with water

    Unless you are going to brace the tops, I would use 6x6's for your posts... 4X4's are too bendy...
    "Do or do not, there is no try." -- Yoda


  10. #10
    Senior Member hppyfngy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnSawyer View Post
    Unless you are going to brace the tops, I would use 6x6's for your posts... 4X4's are too bendy...
    I agree.

    Hfg
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