Building a Wooden Fence around my Pool

[anon1m0us]

Hi, I am building a new wooden fence around my pool and have some questions.
1) Should I use concrete or gravel for the Posts. I have been told concrete eats at wood, but I see a lot of forum posts recommending concrete. Not sure which one to use.

2) Do you line the bottom of the hole of the post with concrete/gravel or just the sides of the post?

3) How do I make sure all the posts are even in height and location? running a string can still be off. Is there a leveler that attaches to string or something or do i need to use a regular leveler.

4) How deep do I need to dig for the post?

[em69]

1. Always use concrete for fence posts. Gravel or dirt has no lateral strength to support the post. The idea is to dig a hole 1.5 times bigger than your post and fill the hole with concrete. You want to avoid disturbing the surrounding soil or else you will lose lateral stability.

2. Concrete in the bottom of the hole only, serves no purpose. See above.

3. Yes, there is a level that you can attach to string. But, ideally you would want the post a little taller and then just cut off the excess after. This avoids trying to get all posts at the same height...which is nearly impossible even with a level.

For example: If your hole needs to be 48" deep and you want a 5 foot fence, then buy a 10 foot pole and cut off the excess once the fence is installed.

4. The depth of the hole depends on the frost line in your area. You want the hole deeper than the frost line to avoid heaving.