Wood fence question

C

Chris142

Joined
Jun 5, 2003
Messages
32,010
Location
Apple Valley, California
In the past I have put up fences using these round poles . Gives my place a rustic look.

My problem is that after a year or so the poles rot off in the ground and fall over.

I'm completely wood stupid and don't know a thing about working with wood.

Do I need to coat the part that goes in the ground with something to prevent it from rotting? If so what?

Thx

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Screenshot_20260414_073012_Chrome.webp
 
Well, Douglas Fir is highly susceptible to rot so they will never last as long as other options. You can treat the posts with a copper based preservative and that will help prolong their life. You can also set them in gravel to promote drainage.
 
This is odd. Douglas fir does not rot quickly, and you live in the desert. I am surprised. How much water do they get? I thought it only rained a couple times a year for you?

I agree - if you wish to keep using these set them in concrete. However your concrete need to be at ground level and slope up ever so slightly to the post so the water will run off.

Or you can go treated if you can find it.
 
SC Maintenance said:
This is odd. Douglas fir does not rot quickly, and you live in the desert. I am surprised. How much water do they get? I thought it only rained a couple times a year for you?

I agree - if you wish to keep using these set them in concrete. However your concrete need to be at ground level and slope up ever so slightly to the post so the water will run off.

Or you can go treated if you can find it.
Click to expand...
We usually get about 7 inches per year
 
From the photo, I think runoff water naturally flows right into those posts which caused the rot. Others mentioned treated wood in concrete, that will last about 10-15 years but maybe less since it looks like its in a water path.

Consider setting the fence back to a different area.
 
Years ago, farmers treated fence posts with Creosote to protect them (railroad as well) and the wood lasted decades. I don't think its available in California, but there may be another option.

Instead of concrete, expandable foam is often used to set posts and poles. I've seen the power company's use it when setting shallow power poles. I would think this would help preserve the wood. I would also mound the soil and compact it around the posts to provide positive drainage away form the posts.

In addition to the ground work, a post treatment on the top is needed, so that water doesn't travel through the grain of the wood and sit stagnant and promote. A durable paint or sealer would do the trick.
 
It's so dry there. Surprising!

I actually think you could get away with those posts as a starting point. Make sure they are dry to start.

AND...................get a deep bucket and rig a support. Get some copper napthenate wood treatment. Yeah it stanks. Soak each post for up to a day, then let them dry. In the sun.

Yer holes already dug. Bug resistant expanding foam or concrete.

You should get years out of them.
 
Pablo said:
It's so dry there. Surprising!

I actually think you could get away with those posts as a starting point. Make sure they are dry to start.

AND...................get a deep bucket and rig a support. Get some copper napthenate wood treatment. Yeah it stanks. Soak each post for up to a day, then let them dry. In the sun.

Yer holes already dug. Bug resistant expanding foam or concrete.

You should get years out of them.
Click to expand...
That stuff might be 10 years in prison (California)
(Legal, but regulated - check codes/use)
 
I was replacing pressure treated posts on my pier every 5 years. Thought they were just rotting. Turns out bugs were eating them. Found some near perfect posts that fit inside PVC. Used thin-set cement to bond/fill annulus - been there 8 years now.
 
wwillson said:
You might also put them in concrete, it keeps the moisture and termites away.
Click to expand...
No, it will not. Listen to the people telling you to treat the posts. Even in the desert wood in the ground will rot.

Cedar will resist rot, for a while. Redwood is better, but will also eventually rot.

Consider copper sulfate powder around the posts as you plant them, in addition to treating with a liquid preservative.
 
It's your arid climate. They just dry out and turn into balsam wood and what little moisture you get finishes them off. Perhaps they need to be painted or have some coating/stain applied to them every year?
 
I put in a wood fence in Apple Valley over 40 years ago. As recommended earlier, I set the posts in concrete (I mixed it in a wheelbarrow), with raised caps where the concrete touched the wood, sloping down as it reached the edge of the hole. Those posts never rotted, although the rest of the fence is in disrepair (the ex doesn't maintain the property).
 
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