Installing a fence is a great do-it-yourself project. Of course, there are a variety of different modular fences to choose from. These fences are made so they can be assembled quickly, with minimal tools, screws or glue. However, no matter what type of fence you have, you need to make sure that the post are solid and properly installed. There are many approaches to post installation, and it largely depends on where you are installing the posts. Your approach to installing a post in concrete will be different than the approach to installing a post in to soil. This article explains how to install a fence post into soil without using concrete footings.
Why Would You Not Use Footings?
There are many reasons to not use footings when installing a post into soil. Some people think that the concrete footings are so heavy that they will, shift over time, especially when the soil gets wet. Since concrete is heavier than soil, a shifting post can lead to problems with the durability of the fence. Also, installing fence posts into concrete footings is much more time-consuming. It is a significant extra step that adds to the labor involved in fence installation.
How to Install the Posts
The key to installing a fence post directly into the soil is to dig a little deeper. There are no set rules since the density of soil varies so much. In fact, soil in one part of your lawn might be denser and stronger than soil in another part. This is why it is better to be safe than sorry and to dig a hole that is about 1/3 the height of the pool. So, if you want to 6' tall fence, you should have 2' under ground. This means you will need to buy an 8' long post.
Digging the holes is much easier if you have a post digging shovel. This allows you to dig deep without digging too wide. If you do end up using a normal shovel, you will just need to do a lot more tamping. This is the act of compressing the soil by hitting it with a tamping pole. The key is to continually tamp down the soil as you are filling it in around the post. You can just pour all the soil in at once and expected to hold. If you can't everything you inches, so it will compress and create a strong hold around the fence post. In the end, post installation is usually much easier if you don't bother using concrete footings.
For more information, contact Mills Fence or a similar company.
