How To Pour Footing For Chain Link Fence Posts

A chain link fence can be a great temporary or permanent addition to your property. If you want a permanent chain link fence on your lawn, the posts should be set in concrete footings. You do not just want to drive the post into the soil. This article will explain how to pour concrete funding into soil. This technique should give you strong posts that will last for many years.

Step One: Dig the Hole

The first step is to obviously dig the holes. Map out and stake where the posts will go. The difficulty of digging the holes will depend on a number of factors. Some soil will be easy to dig up with just a standard shovel. More stubborn soil might need to be loosened with a jackhammer before it can be dug up.

How Deep Should the Holes Be?

The deepness of your post will depend on the size of your fence. A good rule of thumb to follow is to dig your holes 1/2 the height of the fence. So, for a 8' tall fence you will need footings that are 4' deep. This means you will need 12' tall posts for an 8' tall fence. Of course, if you are building a larger fence, you will need to dig even deeper posts which could be problematic as the soil gets more compact and harder to dig up as you go deeper.

Step Two: Pour and Mix the Concrete

The key to pouring concrete footings in soil is not mixing the concrete before hand. Simply pour the concrete mix into the hole and then add water, mixing as you continue to add more and more. Hold the post in place as you pour the concrete mix and water all around it. You can stir using a large stick or a power drill with a concrete mixing bit.

This process is much more effective than pre-mixing the concrete. It allows the concrete mix to integrate with the soil and create a stronger footing. If you premix concrete and then pour it into the hole, the footing will dry well but it will not mix the soil. Over time, you might be able to pull the footing out of the soil, like popping in ice cube out of an ice tray.

The best part of this technique is that it makes the job much quicker and less messy. You do not need to worry about mixing concrete in buckets and cleaning up.

To learn more, contact a fencing company like Elrod Fence Co. 

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