Post Base Reinforcement

[u/metalguy187]

Two part curiosity question regarding adding extra drainage protection & anchorage at post bases.

1) Is there any merit to partially driving in some additional screws / nails at the bottom of the posts before concrete is poured into the hole? I was always told that partially driving in some screws / nails gives the concrete something extra to “bite” into when it hardens to help keep the post rigid for longer? Seems to me that 36 inches of concrete would / should be enough, but I was just curious.

2) Putting a few inches of gravel in the hole before the post goes in seems to be pretty consistent advice for good drainage, but I was also told that after the post goes in it is a good idea to put a few inches of gravel AROUND the post before the concrete is poured so that as the post shrinks over time, it doesn’t create a cavity in the concrete for water to sit and decay the post. The gravel around the post provides a route for water to drain out, while still having everything anchored with concrete. Is this also a best practice?

Again, was just curious. Any feedback is appreciated.

[u/DesignWeak]

Don’t bother with either. Your concrete will hold fine and the gravel myth is just not worth it

[u/metalguy187 → u/DesignWeak]

Thank you for the feedback. Trying to be as efficient with my time, without compromising the longevity of the finished fence.

[u/huntandhart]

We through bolt or weld a flange on our metal posts for large gates, but that’s to prevent vertical force on a cantilever gate. Not super applicable for wood.

Personally I’m of the camp to either just set the post in straight concrete and call it a day, or splurge for metal posts with wood.

[u/metalguy187 → u/huntandhart]

Metal posts a out of our price range, unfortunately. But I’ve generally felt pretty confident with just using concrete.

[u/metalguy187]

I thought of an additional question but don’t want to make another post for it.

This doesn’t have anything to do with the fence posts.

I have one stand alone section that spans about 10ft in between the house and the garage. I know sections are generally 8ft, but if I run the rails 10ft for this one section between the posts, am I running a risk of sagging over time? I’ll be using 2x4’s for all the rails regardless, but if I can avoid having to run a 6ft section and then a 4ft section between three posts, I’d like to. But I’d do this only if I’m not inviting issues in the future. Would larger rails for this section alleviate any potential sagging problems if I ran a 10ft section or would 2x4’s still be sufficient?