Installing fence post in existing hole

[Notreallymeeither]

Hi all

Weekend job is to install new fence panels and posts.

Hopefully the image below shows the problem.

The existing posts had rotted in the concrete and so they pulled out easily and left me with a perfect post-sized hole in the concrete ground to install the new posts.

Ive tried to push the posts in a bit but can’t get the posts deep enough and they are wobbly.

What’s the best way to do this to get a nice solid post. Am I best off digging out one half of the hole and then slotting the post in and postcreting it in place? Or should I whack the post in with a big sledge hammer as deep as I can?

Thanks

[Notreallymeeither]

Gary C said:

Is there still some of the post in the hole preventing full insertion ?

If not, just put it in, then hammer some wedges in between the post and the hole.

If there is and you just cant really get enough of the post into the hole, then its concrete digging out time

Thanks. I think I’ve got most of the old post out but suspect there is some soil etc at the bottom. Might have to put my daughter to work getting her hand down the hole.

But yes I suspect it is concrete digging time.....

[Notreallymeeither]

Thanks all for the replies. Looks like concrete digging out time (I want the fence to be really strong and not wobbly)

Looks like time for the old Titan SDS and my angle grinder.

[Notreallymeeither]

KTMsm said:

FiL was a fencer - he made short work of similar in my garden

He used a 6' steel spike to crack the conc in half (surprisingly easy) then re concreted using the suitable sized chunks in the mix

He was 70 at the time

Thanks. Did he use the 6’ spike as a lever to break up half of the hole (or did he just whack the concrete with the spike until it broke up?)

[Notreallymeeither]

Thanks all for your responses. Things I’ve learned today from this thread and YouTube


- The posts won’t fit in the existing hole so you have to dig it out

- I’m not as fit or strong as a 71 year old as it was bloody hard work digging out the concrete

- you will never get the posts as deep as you want them unless you literally dig all the old concrete out and fully replace them (I didn’t do that)

- if you screw some screws in to the fence post before you put it in the hole and concrete it in, this makes it stronger

- The posts on either side weren’t straight so the panels ended up a bit wonky

- these things always take twice as long as you think

Thanks for all the advice

Edited by Notreallymeeither on Saturday 17th April 19:53

Edited by Notreallymeeither on Saturday 17th April 19:54

[Notreallymeeither]

21TonyK said:

Feel your pain. This was my last 24 hours replacing an existing fence...



Adding in the X5 I was collecting the last 17 boards in this morning died on Torquay seafront so had to combine recovery with timber transfer!

Wow yours looks lots more professional than my shonky effort.

I’m just up the road from you on the west side of Exeter