question about setting steel posts
I’m going to be setting some 2″ square steel posts in concrete for a low little fence.
The fence will be at the edge of the sidewalk and I’m concerned about damage from cars.
Because they might be damaged I wanted to make them so I could pull them out of the concrete if needed.
I would rather not spend the money on a separate steel sleeve the 2″ posts slide into.
Is there a way to wrap the 2″ square steel with layers of tape to increase it’s size a bit. I was thinking that I could taper the wraps a bit so it was thicker at the top.
They are only going in the ground about two feet.
Could I get them out?
Is a steel sleeve the only way?
Our curbs here are the sloped type and frequently people drive their cars up on part of the sidewalk. There are a fair amount of u-turns right in front of my house because they missed a street turn 1/2 a block back.
Will Rogers
Replies
old pvc pipe as sleves
really if you put them in with pure portland cement, no sand or gravel. you can hit the cement with a hammer and it will crack
Edited 6/25/2009 11:32 am by brownbagg
They are square 2" so PVC pipe wouldn't work. . I have no problem getting the concrete out of the ground if I have to. It's just that I'd rather not If I can help it.
How about wrapping them with an insulating tape? I have some that is about just under an 1/8".
Or thinner?
I'm thinking that if they are hit I'll call my insurance Co. I never make claims but in this instance it might make it less painfull.
Being able to pull the posts would make it laess painfull as well. Digging up posts with concrete around them after they were hit just makes me mad thinking about it.
They might never get hit. You never know.
I'll use the straight portland either way I go. Thanks!
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Edited 6/25/2009 12:02 pm by popawheelie
Even if the shape is square, find the next size up of PVC that will fit over the corners.
As an alternative, you could simply make a square tube out of sheet metal - like 22ga. galvy. All the tube is going to du is keep the concrete from touching your square pipe, no strength needed.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
Didn't think about just catching the four corners. I could shoot a little expanding foam into the gaps at the top to keep junk out.
With just the four corners touching it would be easier to get them out too.
I was concerned with the sleeve bonding to the post over time. Rust is a great bonder. This would all but eliminate that form happening.
I think i have a winner!!!! thanks!
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Edited 6/25/2009 10:27 pm by popawheelie
hd has some cheap square pvc/plastic gutter pipe
Thanks! I'll try it. I'll pick up the 2" metal and take some with me."There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
I went HD with a piece of the tubing in hand and no luck. Corner to corner it measured 2 3/4". Nothing there was that size.
Just now I was thinking of getting pvc pipe in 3", cutting a slit in it along the length and squeezing down to 2 3/4" with some hoseclamps.
It seems like a alot of work though.
I was thinking of wrapping the tubing with paper towels and then tape. The paper towels would rot away and I should have some wiggle room to get them out.
How thick should the paper towels be? "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
you could just cover the bottom real good with roofing tar, it will keep the concrete from sticking
Then all you need to do is have a 1/4" shim on two of your corners.
You have that by ripping an extra length of that 3" pipe to get a 1" wide spacer. Press these spacers in at the corners of your upright, they will wedge it in tight.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
He could just pour the extra space full of sand. It will self compact and hold the post tight all the way to the bottom.
I use that technique for placeing 2" round sign posts in an asphalt parking lot. I drill a 2 1/2" or 3" core out of the asphalt and use an large hilti auger bit to hog through the rock base and lift it out of the hole. Set the post and pour sand around while wiggleing and tapping on the post to settle the sand. later after some Yo Yo smacks the post while parking and bends it, I take a couple of quick twist back and forth with a 2" pipe wrench as I pull it out. I can then suck the sand out of the hole with a shop vac and reuse it on the new post.
Here in California, pipe that penetrates concrete has to be wrapped in what everyone calls "handicap" wrap, which I think is a word made from the acronym. It's very similar to - in fact, I think it IS - that thin white foam wrap that computer components sometimes come wrapped in. It looks like of like the foam people were trying to invent wrapping paper and didn't quite get the concept. You could either buy a roll of the wrap at a building supply store, or contact a local computer store and probably score some for free.
This is thin enough that your posts would probably not wobble, but thick enough that I would think you could get them out; and collapsible enough that it would get out of the way of your driving the new post in.
No matter what you do, if a post has been in the ground for a year, built up dirt is going to make for a tough pull. A jack will help; I think the ideal for this purpose is a hi-lift jack (http://www.hi-lift.com/index.html), though they're not cheap. If you've got a floor jack, you could use that and a length of chain wrapped around the post; the hi-lift is ideal because you can get right next to the post, wrap the chain around, and pull it out in one lift. They're useful for other stuff, too; I've pulled out shrubs and even small trees with mine.
Thanks. I think I know what wrap you are talking about. It's a thin white/transparent foam.
I think that is about the thickness that would work.
I like the idea of the roofing tar as well. When you want to get the post out you could melt it with some solvent.
Put it down around the post and give it time to melt.
And it might keep them from rusting as much.
I ordered the 17 cast iron caps and 88 spears today. I still have to figure out the longer pieces and order them.
If they are under 8' they can UPS them. I'll have them cut down the long stuff.
I'll take pictures and post as it progresses. "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers