setting (packing) posts with pea gravel??

Anonymous-0 · Sep 11, 2012

Hey, I need to set a few posts in ground that'll be wet/moist all but a couple months out of the year. Thinking the safest bet for the wood would be the pea gravel. I don't have (easy) access to smooth gravel tho. Would 5-8mm crushed limestone work as good, or does it have to be smooth to keep tight?

Dick2 · Sep 11, 2012

We had rounded gravel in the yard at our previous house. Now we have crushed granite in the yard of our new house. The crushed granite is more solid to walk on than rounded gravel, yet still drains water through it well.

Just put in the crushed stone, compact it a bit and it will hold the post better.

Question: What is the Ph of the limestone? Is it compatable with the Ph of the post? Wouldn't want to accelerate the deteriation rate.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 11, 2012

(quoted from post at 12:12:47 09/11/12)
Question: What is the Ph of the limestone? Is it compatable with the Ph of the post? Wouldn't want to accelerate the deteriation rate.

I don't know.... I'll tar the post before setting it.

Nate V. IA · Sep 11, 2012

What is the purpose of the post?

If it was just holding a fence, (wood, wire) the local dirt will work fine.

If there is going to be pressure from horses leaning on it, I would prevent them from leaning on it with a hot wire and use local dirt.

If you're going to hang a gate then no amount of packed crushed lime will hold it. If I was to hang a gate I would either pour a large amount of concrete around it or cross-brace it well with the nearest post or two.
Nate

Anonymous-0 · Sep 11, 2012

One will support a not too heavy gate, one will just have a gate latch and be the starting point for HT wire and electric tape and two will be corner posts. Total stretch will be about 200 ft with Tposts at 8ft spacing. Was gonna do another area with stock panels, but this way will save about a thousand bucks and look better. I'll try the gravel. If it don't make it solid, I'll use the gravel in a cement mix.

Thanks.

Nate V. IA · Sep 11, 2012

I always hang my gates so the swing both ways and use one of those fancy slam latches to hold the gate up while its closed. Easier to open/close and less pressure on the post. If you don't know how to build a good low maintenance fence look at this site, lots of good information and a great family owned company that sources the best products from around the world.
Nate
Fencing

jackinok · Sep 11, 2012

think about this,you put rock around the septic lines in your system to hold water until it can perk away.putting it around a post is going to hold water also.so if you want the post to stay dry use dirt with no gravel. if your cutting your posts yourself,use elm believe it or not in wet areas. london bridge was built using elm pilings,when it was moved after 200 years pilings were still solid despite having been wet all the time.

John A. · Sep 11, 2012

dave2, IMO and Experience Hole Depth has as More to do with a gate post as anything! Most people will Simply not dig a deep enough hole for the post. Then try to keep it in place with concrete.
I will not begin to try to tell all the specifics for keeping post from walking out of the ground there. BUT I do know there is No Substitute for Hole depth for a set of Corner/Gate post.
Here in Texas I prefer a 12in. hole, about 5+ ft deep.. Since we use a lot of heavy steel pipe for gate/corners then Drive 3ft to 4ft more below the bottom of the hole. Then Concrete it in........
So a set of corner,s or gate post would consist of a pipe post, 15/16 ft. long,,,7ft in the air 5ft in the hole, 4ft driven below the bottom of the hole.
Post in the ground translates into strength and a post that doesn't move. I use this method on all my 5-post corners and 3-post gate end post.
In other words you will need to do more than just a 4 ft post hole if you plan on keeping post in the ground in wet conditions and areas where the freeze/thaw will walk a post our if the ground.
Hope this helps!
Later,
John A.

Old Iowa · Sep 12, 2012

The crushed gravel will work better than the smooth pea gravel. The crushed gravel will pack tighter. I had never back filled with gravel until I had a pole shed built in 1985. The contractor dug all of the holes large and deep. He then stood the poles up in the holes. He started at one corner squaring everything up and nailing the cross bracing in. He built the entire frame and checked it for being square. He then back filled around the poles. One guy would tap the pole with a sledge hammer while another guy shoveled the gravel slowly around the pole. They never tamped a single pole. Those poles where tighter than any dirt filled pole would ever be. That building is the best built one I have. I have had two others built and the original guy retired. So they where built by others. One concreted the poles in and the other dirt filled them in. The gravel packed ones have been the best. The concrete filled ones rotted off. The dirt filled ones let the barn tilt. The gravel filled ones are still straight and true.

showcrop · Sep 12, 2012

(quoted from post at 13:13:01 09/11/12) think about this,you put rock around the septic lines in your system to hold water until it can perk away.putting it around a post is going to hold water also.so if you want the post to stay dry use dirt with no gravel. if your cutting your posts yourself,use elm believe it or not in wet areas. london bridge was built using elm pilings,when it was moved after 200 years pilings were still solid despite having been wet all the time.

Here in the northeast where most of the ground is glacial till and percolation is poor we put stone around the pipes so that the water can almost instantly run OUT of the pipe and into the sand below. The stone cannot hold water.

setting (packing) posts with pea gravel??

Anonymous-0

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Dick2

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Anonymous-0

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Nate V. IA

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Anonymous-0

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Nate V. IA

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jackinok

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John A.

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Old Iowa

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showcrop

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