What to use to dig holes for fence posts?

You can use a post hole digger or power auger to dig the hole. A post hole digger is a manual tool and will get the job done in average soil. If you have hard, rocky soil or a lot of roots – you may want to opt for a power auger. Many home improvement stores have them available for rent.

Why is my fence post sinking?

As you said, your post is sinking because the footing was set on loose soil. Raising the footing will work, but you’ll have to remove it from the hole and put concrete (not try to tamp more loose soil) in the bottom of the hole.

How do you stop a post from sinking?

The only thing you can do is put in temporary support, remove the post and old footing, then dig down to virgin soil and place a new footing at this level. To determine when you are at virgin soil you can get a piece of re-bar from the local lumber yard or big box store and bend it into an “L” shape.

Should you attach a fence to your house?

Don’t attach the fence to the house. Aside from putting holes in your siding (not a good thing), your fence and your house will most likely move differentially. The attachment could result in a tear of the siding, which would be a bad thing.

How do I stop my fence post from leaning?

If your post is rocking around inside of its concrete footing, a good solution is a steel wedge. These can be driven between the post and concrete footing to straighten a leaning or wobbly post.

How do you get rid of rotten wood fence posts?

11 Ways to Remove a Broken Fence Post

Dig a trench next to the footing and tip the post out.
Wrap a chain around the post and use a high lift jack to pull the post out.
Screw lag bolts through a chain into the broken off fence post and then use a vehicle winch/come along/high lift jack to pull the post out.

How tall does a fence need to be to dig a hole?

Keep the height of your fence in mind when digging your post holes. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll need to place at least 1/3 the height of the post in the ground. For example, a 6-foot tall fence will need at least 2 feet of post in the ground. Consider the frost line in your area.

Is it OK to leave a hole in a fence post?

One final point to note when it comes to digging fence post holes is the hole itself. Never leave any post holes that have been already dug unattended. If you need to leave the area you’re working in for any time, cover all of your post holes over with a suitable piece of ply board or similar.

What can I use to set a fence post without digging?

A T-Post driver, or sometimes known as a fence post driver, is a tool that will help anchor the post in the ground without digging. This way, your fence post is sturdy, but you do not have to dig. Typically with a T-Post driver, you would use a metal pole rather than wood as the fence post.

What are the most common problems with fence installation?

Installation Troubles Common fence installation problems include not setting post holes deep enough, not factoring sloped ground into the design, and utility line damage during excavation. Setting post holes correctly is essential to creating a solid foundation for your fence.

How deep should I Dig a fence post?

Dig a hole at least 2 feet deep for each fence post. Use the one-third method as a rule of thumb when in doubt about how deep to dig fence post holes: If the length of a fence post is 6 feet, then bury at least 2 feet of the post below ground.

How do you dig a fence post hole?

The most readily available form of digging a fence post hole is to use a manual digger. This tool is basically two handles with a lever in the middle with concave blades on the end of each post. To dig the fence post hole, you will stand the digger up straight and drive it into the ground. Close the blades and lift out the dirt that it grabs.

What is the easiest way to dig a post hole?

Digging the Post Holes Begin digging by holding the post hole diggers by the handles, one in each hand, with the handles close together. Spread the handles apart to capture the soil in the jaws (between the hole digger’s blades), using enough pressure to grasp it securely, then lift the hole diggers out of the hole.

How deep should a fence post be?

Fence posts should be placed 2 to 3 feet in the ground. Corner posts should be at least 3 feet deep. 1. Since this small section of the fence had a hose reel attached to it, the hose reel was removed. No screws had to be removed.