Fence Post Footing Depth
To prevent a post from decaying too quickly as well as to make it easy to remove when it does start.
Fence post footing depth. Don t make postholes too small building codes and ordinances in your area may stipulate a legal depth and diameter for fence post holes. Set the post in the hole and brace it plumb or put a helper on the job and in line and level with the posts. As a general rule of thumb you ll need to place at least 1 3 the height of the post in the ground. Add to favorites reading time.
If not conventional rules of thumb offer a reliable guide. The depth of the hole should be 1 3 1 2 the post height above ground i e a 6 foot tall fence would require a hole depth of at least 2 feet. For example a 6 foot tall fence will need at least 2 feet of post in the ground. Gates require a hole with a depth of 36 to 40 inches in the ground and with a diameter of at least 12 inches.
You need to dig a 12 inch wide hole for a 4 foot wood post. The depth of your fence post footings will vary according to fence height wind loading and soil type as well as other factors. For example an 1800mm fence in wind zone a will require footings of a minimum of 600mm deep by 200mm wide whereas the footing dimensions for the same fence in wind zone d will need to be at least 700 1100mm deep. Dig the hole using the post hole diggers to about 2 feet 4 inches.
If your post is 6 feet tall you will dig down at least 2 feet. For the width you need to make the hole three times the width of the post you intend to use. Consider the frost. 5 minutes fence post depth size and anchoring systems can make or break your fence line.
If your fence posts are 8 feet high then 2 1 2 feet of the posts should go from the bottom of the post hole to the plumb. That little footing will give the post something to stand on instead of damp soil. Here are a four tips to help you find the correct fence post hole depth. For example if you are erecting a 6 foot high fence using 4 inch fence posts the posts need to be 6 feet above the ground.
Despite what some people believe making a long lasting fence is not always as simple as sinking a post in the ground and moving on to the next post. Fence posts anchored in concrete footings last for years as long as they re installed properly. 6 divided by 3 is 2 therefore the depth of the hole required is 2 feet.