How to concrete poles for the fence: options for reliable

27-07-2018

Fence

Correct installation and reliable concreting of fence posts is a necessary condition that the fence will stand for a long time and will not be tilted after the first wintering. But in order to perform all the operations as needed, it is worthwhile to study all the available information.

In our article we will describe which supports are better for choosing for different types of fencing, as well as how to concrete the pillars for the fence.

The more reliably we will concrete support - the longer our fence will stay

Choose bearing structures

The basis of almost any hedge are vertical supports installed in the ground or a special foundation. There are various requirements for supports, but the main one is sufficient mechanical strength. This is due to the fact that most of the fences have significant windage, which means that under the influence of the wind a weak support column will loosen and incline.

What can be used as a carrier element of the fence?

Photo of the fence on wooden posts

Wooden poles for the fence. Relatively inexpensive, easy to handle, have a rather attractive appearance. The key disadvantages are relatively low strength and short life. The latter is due to the fact that the part of the pillar in the ground begins to rot over time.

Extend the life of the support can be due to hydrophobic and antiseptic processing.

Asbestos cement pipes. They have a small mass, do not rot, do not swell from moisture. A significant minus of these supports is their mechanical fragility. Because of this, in some cases it is difficult to fix logs on the asbestos-cement pipe.

Note! Another aspect of the fragility of asbestos cement - the instability to thermal deformation. If water gets into the pipe, there is a risk that when it freezes, the support will simply “cut off” the level of the frozen liquid. Therefore, the installation of plugs on such supports is mandatory.

Steel pipes (profile and round). They are one of the most popular types of supports, since both their aesthetic and operational characteristics are at their best. With effective anti-corrosion treatment can serve for decades. The only significant disadvantage is the relatively high price.
Concrete pillars. Differ in high cost therefore they are applied most often to low decorative fences or to concrete fences. Possible independent production.

Concrete supports

We should also mention the supports for the spans of brickwork, but their consideration is somewhat beyond the scope of this article. The thing is that such supports settle around a metal pipe installed in the ground - and we will talk about the installation technology in the next section.

Post technology

Driving to ground

1 - blockage, 2 - partial concreting, 3 - complete concreting, 4 - blocking with rubble

At specialized forums often develop discussions on the topic "to hammer or concreted fence posts?". In principle, there is no single right answer, and it cannot be, therefore we will consider both options and try to objectively evaluate their pros and cons.

The first method of installation - driving pillars into the ground.

It is produced as follows:

First, a hole is drilled in the soil using a narrow screw auger. The diameter of the hole should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the pillar itself.
The pole is installed in the hole, a thick board is laid on its upper end, after which the support is driven into the ground with a sledge hammer.
When driving a pole, it is necessary to periodically control its verticality.

I'm bouncing the forehead

The advantages of this technology are obvious, because it allows you to install the supporting structure very quickly. But in insufficiently dense soil (sand, sandy loam, light loam) the pillar will definitely loosen with time. It is for this reason that driving is used either for temporary fences or for fences with low windage.

Tip! Asbestos-cement pipe hammering with a sledgehammer is a bad idea.

The rubble is rubbish

Also, without pouring cement mortar, you can install a vertical support element by filling it with rubble:

Drill a hole with a drill, the diameter of which is 100 mm larger than the support section.
Install the support and align it.
The space between the pillar and the walls of the hole is filled with rubble of the middle fraction.
With the help of the vibrating plate we compact the bedding, periodically filling the rubble.

Scheme zabutovki rubble

This method of installation is also good for providing effective drainage in heavy loamy and clay soils. Due to the high water permeability of the bubbled hole, the moisture goes into the lower horizons and does not freeze around the pillar.

The conclusion is quite simple: whether to concrete or not fence posts depends on the characteristics of the soil, and on the goals you set for yourself. And if you decide that you can not do without concrete work - go to the next section!

Full and partial concreting

In light soils, partial or complete concreting is used to ensure maximum reliability of the installation of supporting structures.

Video instruction on the most effective implementation of this operation is provided on our website, and here we will tell you in what sequence the installation is performed.

We drill a hole for support

In the selected location drilled hole for the installation of the pole. For complete concreting, the depth of the well is equal to the length of the underground part of the support plus 300 mm, for the partial part - about half the length of the underground part.
The diameter of the drill must be chosen so that the hole is about 100 mm wider than the support itself. Optimum screw auger of 200 mm.
With partial concreting, we hammer a pillar into the bottom of the hole with a sledge hammer. With a full - at first we fall asleep a pillow of gravel, and then - install a support on it. The installed supports in both cases are partially covered with rubble.
We are preparing cement mortar: we take 3 fractions of sand and 4-6 fractions of crushed stone for 1 share of cement of grade not lower than M400. Knead the solution in a concrete mixer until a homogeneous consistency.
In the gap between the walls of the hole pour the solution. Filling is done in parts, after each portion we seal the cement pad with a metal rod, ensuring the absence of voids.

Tip! To improve the quality of installation in the hole, you can install the "sleeve" of the ruberoid sleeve.

After the complete casting, we finally level the pillar, fix it and leave it for at least 20 days.

After pouring concrete

This method is one of the most reliable, but it does not provide an absolute guarantee of the absence of problems after a frosty winter. This is due to the fact that in heavy soils, the frozen water with an effort "pushes" the concrete pillars out, and therefore the pillar can squint. However, to avoid this, you can make a ribbon foundation for the fence.

It is not at all difficult to make this construction with your own hands:

Trench with formwork for strip foundations

For the manufacture of strip foundations for the fence of the hole for the pillars, we connect them together in trenches 15-20 cm wide and up to 40 cm deep.
In the trench lay reinforcement, which is designed to give our foundation the necessary margin of safety.
When concreting pillars with the same solution, we also fill trenches, combining all the structures into a single system.

This technology of pouring the solution provides the maximum level of reliability, because the impact of frozen soil moisture is distributed over a large area.

Depending on how reliable the fence you need, and how much effort you are ready to do for this, you can choose how to concrete the pillars for the fence. As we noted above, there is no single recipe, and yet, the more carefully you install the supports, the better!