UKC

I've got to replace a length of fencing. The posts appear to have rotted out completely within the concrete holes. So me being naïve thinks I can just dig out the rotted gunge from the concrete lump which will leave me with a nice hole to bung a new post in.
However my previous experience of diy tells me that there will be some horrendous problems that I've not even considered e.g the holes will be to small.
has anyone successfully reused post holes? Or could I set some spikes in the holes with more concrete?

In reply to pasbury:

Digging rotted wood out of a deep hole with gravity against you is likely to be a pain. I'd try a jetwasher.

If you buy wood too big the holes will be too small

Making it fit snugly will be a pain but doable with undersize timbers, a bit of cement and some care. They'll rot out again but you'll get a few years from treated timbers.

jk

In reply to pasbury:

There is a product called something like Metpost Repair post to deal with precisely this.... Its a spike shaped like 2 sides of a square if you can picture that, with a section on top for a new post to bolt into. The theory is that you bang it into the old hole then fit new post to it. You need a rubber bung thingy to allow you to bang it in without damaging it.

Sounds OK but never used it - however, my experience of using normal bang them in the ground metposts and bolt down onto concrete metposts is that it can be tough to get them in as straight and/or square as you would like so I suspect that banging something into an existing hole is at least as tricky. You don't need to dig the gunge out though.....

I'm not great at fencing but far prefer doing it one panel at a time, using quickset postcrete so I can get everything lined up nicely. Given the choice, if you can get the old concrete out I'd re-do it from scratch... is there enough post left to pull them out with car and rope or anything?

In reply to pasbury:

Unless there's further ground works in the area of the post, there should just be a lump of concrete in the ground, dig this up and there's the hole, you maybe could dig the wood out of the concrete and fix new post in, probably not so easy that way unless it was completely rotten or buy more concrete or use one of the big spikes which fit at the end of the post.

In reply to Ferret:

I've only excavated one hole so far and got down about 18 inches using just my hands and a trowel, the wood has completely rotted though there is still some stuff at the bottom. The other posts look just as far gone.

In reply to pasbury:

I was a fencer for a year, and whilst by no means an expert, I have put some reasonable efforts up both then and as an amateur since.

Don't waste your time with those spiky things - Impossible to get straight, even if you do manage to bang'em in to the holes.

Take the time to dig out the blocks of concrete, set your posts properly and straight, and then use postcrete. It is incredibly easy to use, and goes off very quickly, so the job is done in no time., but you will be happy with the resulst rather than look at a rickety bodge.

In reply to JohnnyW:

I'd agree with Johnny here. Done loads of fencing as I work in property maintenance. You can reset the spacing of the fence and start with new holes so you avoid the extra work of digging out the old concrete blocks. Not always the best thing to do but sometimes applicable and saves loads of time.
I love fencing it's my favourite job

In reply to pasbury:

why replace? plant a hedge and put in some willow screening until they establish?

In reply to malk:

Better for the environment too

In reply to pasbury:

If you choose to go along with the suggestions to pour new concrete, my grandad recommended putting a layer of gravel in the bottom of the hole before adding the post and pouring the concrete, this lets water drain away and helps stop the bit of the post below the ground from being permanently waterlogged, so it should last longer, making the top of the concrete slightly domed helps the water run off too.

In reply to pasbury:
some good advice above, don't waste your time with the metal spikes, their rubbish, dig out the existing cement or space your new posts to avoid all or some of them.
nearly every fence rots and eventually fails at the base of the posts, so use a thick heavy post, and as said above try and make a run off at the base of the post so water dosent gather there.
you can also use bitumen or similar to treat the part of the post thats under ground especially round the base to give more protection but it takes careful measuring to make it look ok.
also try not to have your rails butting together at a the same post, stagger them as it makes the overall fence stronger.


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In reply to pasbury:

How long do you want it to last?

Everything will rot eventually but you can make the fence last a fair while with a bit of thought.

The belt and braces approach is concrete posts and 12" concrete gravel boards, with slot in panels. They are quite pricey per foot but the worst you will need to do is slot in a new panel if we have a really big storm. Pretty easy to put up especially if you rent or buy a post hole borer.

High maintenance and slow option is hedging but it looks a lot better and if you plant a good mixed hedge will help the local wildlife while being virtually elephant proof. (Blackthorn is good stuff).

Unless you have to then don't bother digging up the old concrete, just space the posts to miss it.

In reply to pasbury:

I have around 36 + fence posts to maintain around my garden, concrete base / wooden post..

Buy the same size post that have rotted to fit the pre set base hole, use crow bar / hammer / brute strength/ bashed knuckles / bad language to remove the rotten stump.

Any pre treated timber post you get leave to soak in a bucket of old engine oil / creosote for a week or two prior to setting in the old base.

This method lasts me about 10 years a post .