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I have no affiliation, but am building a fence
The Post Collar The guy's premise is that in so far as rot is concerned, it almost doesn't matter how you sink your fence posts - be it encased in concrete or dirt, or even sitting in a puddle of water... The stuff under-ground won't be infested by bacteria and rot away if there is no air (oxygen). The rot happens where the dirt meets the air, and this product is designed to protect that space.
Having pulled out my share of old fence posts, I can attest that I've seen 30+ yr old pressure treated and cedar posts encased in concrete that looks as good as new, whereas everything above were completely rotted away.
Thoughts?
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I've never had a rotted post in a maintained (stained) fence. In fact, I've pulled many... busted the concrete lump off the bottom and reused them.
The product you linked seems like a moisture trapper.
WoodNET... the new safespace
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There are several grades of PT treatment. One is for ground contact. The others are not. Use the wrong type and it will have problems.
Second, installing posts so water drains away from them is key, and not just crowning the concrete, but so ground water does not flow into/around the post.
That 'invention' has some initial interest, but seems just gimmicky.
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I've started replacing the rotted wood posts with metal posts. Put in hole add cement and a cap on top to keep the moisture out. They have the brackets at the big box to adapt to the wood fence material. Done eight so far and they look good and are solid.
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain."
Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
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Splinter Puller said:
I've never had a rotted post in a maintained (stained) fence. In fact, I've pulled many... busted the concrete lump off the bottom and reused them.
The product you linked seems like a moisture trapper.
Why would you call it a moisture trapper..its basically butyl tape with a galvanized steel shell.
The concept seems sound to me. No idea of the return on the investment tho..will it add 5..10..20 years to the life of a wooden fencepost?
-Mark
If I had a signature, this wouldn't be it.
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I'd be concerned about water collecting where the top of the metal edge meets the wood. For fence posts in concrete, one approach is to cover all sides with concrete and mound a couple inches of concrete above ground level. This is to let water run from the post to the concrete and to the ground.
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Bryan11 said:
I'd be concerned about water collecting where the top of the metal edge meets the wood. For fence posts in concrete, one approach is to cover all sides with concrete and mound a couple inches of concrete above ground level. This is to let water run from the post to the concrete and to the ground.
Even this approach - it seems like unless you put some sort of silicone caulk in the gap between the concrete "mound" and the wood post, it still creates a place for water to get to the "inside" of the concrete.. .then again, back to the topic, if there is no air or "fuel" below grade for microbes, there should be no rot anyway.
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For the price of the collars even if they work it isn't worth it. They are the cost of a metal post which lasts way longer than wood does. Wood post's here last about 5 years before they start really showing their age. Termites just love them treated or not have even tps even them destroy railroad ties.
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Robert Adams said:
For the price of the collars even if they work it isn't worth it. They are the cost of a metal post which lasts way longer than wood does. Wood post's here last about 5 years before they start really showing their age. Termites just love them treated or not have even tps even them destroy railroad ties.
Yah I was a bit surprised how pricey they were too. Would be roughly $400 for my 300' fence. I'm still contemplating just using metal posts and wrapping them with wood above grade.
