Author	[Modern View]
Stephen Newell 08-11-2012 20:24:14 66.53.80.89 Report to Moderator	I have a customer that wants me to repair a steel fence for her. I can do the work but I want to do a good job and it's outside my field of expertise. The existing fence posts appears to be standard 2" tubular steel and was just put in the dirt without any concrete. All of the posts are now rotted off at the ground level and need new posts. I'm thinking they should have been galvanized and set in concrete. What does everybody think? [Reply]   [No Email]
Andy C 08-12-2012 07:21:02 74.103.166.115 Report to Moderator	Re: Steel Fence in reply to Stephen Newell, 08-11-2012 20:24:14   Used to be that everything was cemented in and much still is. With the design of relatively inexpensive air powered post drivers a whole lot of fence is simply driven in these days.Use schedule 40 galvanized pipe and use a foot or so longer than you would use with a post in concrete. There are those that would disagree with the driving of posts but it works well in most applications. We hardly use concrete anymore for either wood or steel posts. BTW a driver for wooden posts is VERY different than what you would use for steel. Also for a limited number of posts you could just use a hand operated driver made out of a piece of pipe and cap that slides over the pipe you are driving. Good SCH 40 pipe will likely outlast you and me. Good Luck, Andy Owner: All Fenced In   [Reply]  [No Email]
Stephen Newell 08-12-2012 04:44:20 66.53.81.5 Report to Moderator	Re: Steel Fence in reply to Stephen Newell, 08-11-2012 20:24:14   I guess I left out a couple of details. The 200' of fence I will be working on is only about a third of the entire fence so I will have to keep the appearance close to the same with square tubing. I could use a little larger tubular steel and I think I may need to because the center sections of the fence are welded to the posts and I'm going to have to cut them apart. The section I will be working on is in a place where water comes down a hill. It's almost a drainage ditch. All of the existing posts were capped but I suspected that the posts being in a wet area just stuck in the dirt had water soak up from the bottom and rust the steel out from the inside. I've never bought any galvanized tubing so I had no idea the cost although I'm not really on a budget. This lady has money and just told me to fix it but she trusts me and I don't want to unnecessarily waste her money either.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 08-11-2012 21:12:25 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: Steel Fence in reply to Stephen Newell, 08-11-2012 20:24:14   Galvanizing and concrete would be expensive. Underground steel tanks were coated with coal tar epoxy. Are the posts capped on top? If not that would allow water to sit inside the posts. I think if you got some thick coating like tar (even roofing repair tar or undercoating) and dipped the ends of the posts in that before putting them in the ground would work. Just need to get a bigger size pipe or cylinder to put the tar in. It would be simple and would coat the inside and outside of the post.   [Reply]  [No Email]
John A. 08-11-2012 21:12:05 64.128.16.238 Report to Moderator	Re: Steel Fence in reply to Stephen Newell, 08-11-2012 20:24:14   Stephen, Forget the light duty 2 in tubing it is over glorified Muffler pipe. Here in Texas we use 2&3/8 or 2&7/8, or heavier oilfield pipe most all the time now! For corners, I prefer to drill a post hole, bell out the bottom of the hole, center a longer pipe in the hole and drive at least 3 to 4 feet, then concrete he bottom 3/4 of the hole. Weld in the brace pipe, most of the time I use a 3 post, Double H design. or a 5 post full corner! On line post I drive T-post, to where the plate is just below ground level. I will drive a 2&3/8 every 6th post I like it to be 3 to 4 ft in the ground with 6 ft above ground. Unless you get some really crappy, magnified, pipe, a full steel fence, with American wire it should last 30+ yrs minimum! Hope this helps. Later, John A.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 08-11-2012 21:14:27 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: Steel Fence in reply to John A., 08-11-2012 21:12:05   Most drill stem is magnetic but for a fence it doesn't matter that much.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Ted in NE-OH 08-11-2012 20:36:14 98.20.254.192 Report to Moderator	Re: Steel Fence in reply to Stephen Newell, 08-11-2012 20:24:14   Use a treated wood post.   [Reply]  [No Email]
bill mart 08-11-2012 20:34:00 69.204.65.189 Report to Moderator	Re: Steel Fence in reply to Stephen Newell, 08-11-2012 20:24:14   some people will argue that concrete will hold the water in around the metal post and rot it prematurely. Bill   [Reply]  [No Email]