Digging post holes with a pressure washer
Discussion
Has anyone done this, I’ve seen videos where it appears easy but what’s the reality. I would give it a go but I don’t own a pressure washer
I need to build a lean too sort of affair to house kids bikes, a trailer etc to keep them out of the elements
However the area it needs to go is full of gas / water / electric / broadband cables - I’m nervous of striking one and getting in more trouble with the boss than usual
So my plan is to dig test holes with water and then postcrete them in if suitable
Cheers
I need to build a lean too sort of affair to house kids bikes, a trailer etc to keep them out of the elements
However the area it needs to go is full of gas / water / electric / broadband cables - I’m nervous of striking one and getting in more trouble with the boss than usual
So my plan is to dig test holes with water and then postcrete them in if suitable
Cheers
Spare tyre said:
Has anyone done this, I ve seen videos where it appears easy but what s the reality. I would give it a go but I don t own a pressure washer
I need to build a lean too sort of affair to house kids bikes, a trailer etc to keep them out of the elements
However the area it needs to go is full of gas / water / electric / broadband cables - I m nervous of striking one and getting in more trouble with the boss than usual
So my plan is to dig test holes with water and then postcrete them in if suitable
Cheers
Sounds messy.I need to build a lean too sort of affair to house kids bikes, a trailer etc to keep them out of the elements
However the area it needs to go is full of gas / water / electric / broadband cables - I m nervous of striking one and getting in more trouble with the boss than usual
So my plan is to dig test holes with water and then postcrete them in if suitable
Cheers
The idea is relatively sound (if sensitive to the type of ground and things like stones needing clearing) but the mess it creates is going to be biblical.
Excavation with water works but everything from the hole is going to end up all over you and everything else.
And if the area isn't free draining it's going to be worse!
Also if there's much in the way of roots it won't work well.
Excavation with water works but everything from the hole is going to end up all over you and everything else.
And if the area isn't free draining it's going to be worse!
Also if there's much in the way of roots it won't work well.
The success rate will be very dependent on the type of soil you have... but as others have said the mess you are making is going to be significant.
If you really are worried about hitting cables and pipes. how about digging it slowly by hand. I mean yes it will take time and be tedious, but not as tedious as the ear bashing you will get from the boss when you hit a gas pipe and she can't get a bath that night.
If you really are worried about hitting cables and pipes. how about digging it slowly by hand. I mean yes it will take time and be tedious, but not as tedious as the ear bashing you will get from the boss when you hit a gas pipe and she can't get a bath that night.
Digging with water works in Youtube videos where the soil is made of perfect loamy soil, without any stones. I think it's a bit harder in the average UK garden.
If you're doing a lean-to for bikes, and don't want to dig, why not just lay a concrete base and mount the posts on that using galvanised post mounts?
If you're doing a lean-to for bikes, and don't want to dig, why not just lay a concrete base and mount the posts on that using galvanised post mounts?
The squirty bit is only half of a proper water jet excavator. To make the system really work you need the mother of all vacuum cleaners to suck out the slurry as quickly as you're blasting fresh water into the hole. Put the two together and you're in business. Only use the jet wash lance and you're in a big puddle of muddy water on top of a hole of indeterminate size and depth.
Still worth a try though. Please post pictures.
Still worth a try though. Please post pictures.
DSMSMR said:
iron bar, spade or trowel.....lots of sweat.
If you're nowhere near any gas, water, oil or sewage pipes, nor buried cables, then 100% the above and post hole diggers also have their place if digging small cross-section holes.If you know that previous installers have put tape in the backfill above services, then all of the above, 100%, and proceed carefully.
If you have no confidence that previous installers will have done anything other than lay boobytraps for you and your wife is going to kill you if anything goes wrong, then, dear OP, you are buggered.
My soil is a mixture of clay, tree roots and flint and is really hard to dig. I bought a spud bar, and borrowed a post hole digger of my mate and dug 10 holes which was massively hard graft. It was however, very satisfying and therapeutic as with every thrust of the spud bar I imagined that the builder who ripped me off was in the bottom of the hole.
Not really relevant to the pressure washer thing, but if you've got a frustration or anger to get rid of I recommend doing it by hand
Not really relevant to the pressure washer thing, but if you've got a frustration or anger to get rid of I recommend doing it by hand
paul.deitch said:
Our borehole was done with a high pressure lance and a pump with a coarse filter was used to pick up the backwater and throw it into a drum. The feed for the lance was in the drum. It wasn't that messy. They went down 8 meters and I have garden water all year.
Interesting!Thanks for sharing that.
21TonyK said:
Post hole digger and a trowel. Quick and clean.
Pressure washer? Put it on YouTube and post a link.
Pressure washer? Put it on YouTube and post a link.
Do it wearing something wildly inappropriate like a tuxedo, add a s
tty clickbait title and it could get decent numbers; knock up an AI thumbnail with a woman in a bikini and it will coin it in. Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff