How To Break Up Concrete In Fence Post Hole

Have you ever dug a two foot deep hole before.

How to break up concrete in fence post hole.

Using a digging bar to break up concrete. That s because fence posts are set in a concrete footing that is usually at least two feet deep in the ground. If the rock is too big to lift you may be able to dig a hole besid. You could dig it out but that takes too long.

A rock bar may work on dry clay. Very hard earth like clay is extremely difficult to dig with a manual pair of post hole diggers. A digging bar may also work if you find concrete also soft stone impossibly dense clay roots in the ground as you install a fence or mailbox. If the fence post won t budge attempt pushing the pry bar into the soil next to the fence post or concrete footing on the side opposite the opening and push it towards the hole.

Use the post hole estimator to quickly find out how much concrete you will need to set your fence posts. Use a sledgehammer to break up the concrete around the old post. Use the digging bar as a lever to pry the concrete away from the base of the post and lift the post out of the footing. Enter your post and hole dimensions in any units.

5 break the pieces of concrete footing into smaller pieces with the digging. If you plan on lifting the concrete base of the post out of the ground with a jack or machinery. Measure and mark the location of each fence post. The calculator will give you the results in cubic yards and number of pre mixed bags of concrete 40 lb 60 lb and 80 lb bags.

Make the hole large enough to ensure you. The above methods can work for broken posts but it s not always easy to make them work. Post hole diggers have a maximum effective depth of about 3 4 of their handle length so a five foot pair will dig about 3 1 2 half deep. To maximize the force from the pry bar use a leftover piece of 2 x 4 or similar wood on the ground to make a pivot and stop the pry bar from sinking in the ground.

Removing an old fence post can be a pain in the ass especially if the post has rotted and fallen off. It s basically a human powered jackhammer. It can create a fault line in concrete blow by blow and be a key player in your concrete removal toolbox. One of the biggest challenges to removing fence posts set in concrete is when the post itself breaks off close to ground level.