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Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water #6364297
11/03/18 08:24 PM
11/03/18 08:24 PM
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Jurassic Park Offline OP
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Jurassic Park  Offline OP
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I started building a lean to shelter for some animals I have today. When I dug the holes in the ground, the hole began to fill with water.
The holes are 3 feet deep and now have about 6 inches of water in them.
The plan is to put 4x4 posts in the ground then build the walls around them.
Will the water make the posts rot or make them unstable? Should I look for a dryer spot to put the shelter?

The posts are brown treated.

Thanks!


Cold as ice!
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364305
11/03/18 08:27 PM
11/03/18 08:27 PM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 16,150
Tennessee
Scuba1 Offline
"color blind Kraut"
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Tennessee
Dip the poles in hot tar before you plant them. Then put a dry concrete mix round them when you have them plumb and braced.


Let's go Brandon

"Shall not comply" with morons who don't understand "shall not infringe."
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364314
11/03/18 08:37 PM
11/03/18 08:37 PM
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Posts: 3,446
Houghton Lake, MI
strike2x Offline
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If the posts are ground contact treated the water won't hurt a bit. I would be more concerned with how dry the shelter will be with the water table that high.


Wish I had more time to trap....
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364325
11/03/18 08:44 PM
11/03/18 08:44 PM
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Lugnut Offline
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As said above, if the posts are rated for ground contact they'll be fine.


Eh...wot?

Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364342
11/03/18 08:52 PM
11/03/18 08:52 PM
Joined: Sep 2016
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Jurassic Park Offline OP
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I was hoping to not use concrete to set the posts. Just pack it in with the soil I dug out to make the holes.
Putting the shelter here does have me concerned about heavy rains flooding the shelter. I’m just limited to space, and it’s either there or the goats get rained and snowed on all their life. Lol.


Cold as ice!
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364351
11/03/18 08:59 PM
11/03/18 08:59 PM
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Posts: 45,261
james bay frontierOnt.
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Boco Offline
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Build it.Regardless it will be good for a few years.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364372
11/03/18 09:14 PM
11/03/18 09:14 PM
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Lugnut Offline
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The concrete isn't necessary. I never use it and I set lots of posts. If the ground is soft and the post are going to bear much weight, it might be a good idea to pour 3"-4" of concrete mix in the bottom of the hole for a solid footing. If it's going to be a relatively light structure, don't worry about it.


Eh...wot?

Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364417
11/03/18 09:42 PM
11/03/18 09:42 PM
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Jurassic Park Offline OP
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Ok cool. Just going to have 1x6 spruce for siding and roof. Then throw some tin on top. Shouldn’t be too heavy.

Boco, this shelter better last more than a few years. $600 of material, hoping for 25 years here!


Cold as ice!
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364420
11/03/18 09:43 PM
11/03/18 09:43 PM
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 613
Northern Missouri
Northmocats Offline
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Northern Missouri
You can use Waste lime screenings and it will pack in tight like concrete. Cheap at the rock quarries.

Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364430
11/03/18 09:58 PM
11/03/18 09:58 PM
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snowy Offline
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I have had the same issue when I built a small pole barn shop. I had water in the hole at 3 feet and I was planting utility pole for the building structure/supports. I just got rock and tamped them in the bottom and used rock/dirt to fill and tamped them in. I had no problem with the building what so ever doing I that way. Remember tamping the bottom and tamping them very good at the bottom in the most important step.

If you built any fence in your day tamping the bottom and 3/4 of the way up is the most important. If you done some of it you know why.


Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364434
11/03/18 10:02 PM
11/03/18 10:02 PM
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Posts: 45,261
james bay frontierOnt.
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Boco Offline
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Oh Yea,Jurassic,I forgot your a young fella.Anyway in 10 years you will likely be rich enough to move out of the swamp,lol.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364456
11/03/18 10:20 PM
11/03/18 10:20 PM
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Posts: 6,518
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Jurassic Park Offline OP
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I’m going to dig new holes on the other side of the pasture and hope it’s dryer there.
Snowy, I know all about packing around the posts!

Boco, I don’t really want to ever move again. Instead I want to buy all the land around me and build a wall. Ok maybe not build a wall, but a fence and have thousands of goats, and sheep, and chickens, and cows. Everything thrives in the swamp. Just need some of those wild boars the Americans keep talking about.


Cold as ice!
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364470
11/03/18 10:38 PM
11/03/18 10:38 PM
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East-Central Wisconsin
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Rotting will not be a real issue with treated posts. I would be concerned about heaving when the water table comes high. You will need to find a way to keep the posts solid in the ground. Six inches in 3 foot is not too bad but you don't know for sure how high the water may get over time. The cement around the post will aid in stopping that as well.

Bryce

Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364490
11/03/18 11:12 PM
11/03/18 11:12 PM
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james bay frontierOnt.
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Be careful,jurassic.Keeping that many goats will be a real draw for muzlims.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364510
11/03/18 11:42 PM
11/03/18 11:42 PM
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You ever see a Muslim in the swamp?


Cold as ice!
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364523
11/04/18 12:25 AM
11/04/18 12:25 AM
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Nevada
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Dig them out an extra foot then tamp in drain rock for that foot. Then fill and tamp the rest of the way with good dirt. Concrete is worse then anything as the wood will swell from the moisture and give room to have standing water caught btween the post and the concrete once it dries back out.

Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Boco] #6364536
11/04/18 01:22 AM
11/04/18 01:22 AM
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Originally Posted By: Boco
Build it.Regardless it will be good for a few years.
This is what I would do. However it sounds like you will have heave problems when the frost sets in. You might be better off to build a floating shed that sets on top of every thing.

Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: nvwrangler] #6364548
11/04/18 03:33 AM
11/04/18 03:33 AM
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Kenai AK
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Originally Posted By: nvwrangler
Concrete is worse then anything as the wood will swell from the moisture and give room to have standing water caught btween the post and the concrete once it dries back out.


Agreed. Concrete is great for making things stable, but it hugely promotes rot in wood. That’s why electrical utilities (around here at least) never use concrete on wood poles. Remember, the treatment on treated lumber only penetrates about 1/4” max. If it gets soaked it will still rot inside. I prefer using sonotubes with brackets on top to hold the posts for structures, but if you want to bury them, bury them in sand/gravel with rock underneath so it can dry out seasonally any it’ll last much longer.


Originally Posted by Dirt
Originally Posted by Rat Masterson
Boco couldn't catch a cold.

But if he did, it would be Top Lot.
Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364595
11/04/18 07:40 AM
11/04/18 07:40 AM
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On Georgian Bay, Ontario Canad...
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Hutchy Offline
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I know building styles vary, but if that was here I would pour the post holes full of concrete to just above the ground and attach the post with a galvanized saddle, making sure the concrete is at least four feet down and has a bulge at the bottom to resist frost lift. Concrete can't rot, and the footings and building will be there for as long as the wood lasts. If the post holes use too much concrete, slip in a 6" Sono tube, or add some rocks to make the concrete go further

Re: Digging post holes, now they’re filling with water [Re: Jurassic Park] #6364602
11/04/18 07:58 AM
11/04/18 07:58 AM
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Lugnut Offline
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Geeze, it's a run-in shelter for animals guys, not a garage...


Eh...wot?

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