Re: Sand or gravel around pole barn poles?

Posted by John in La on September 14, 2014 at 10:34:51 from (96.33.136.54):

In Reply to: Sand or gravel around pole barn poles? posted by UP Oliver on September 13, 2014 at 20:04:20:

Sorry if this sounds a little harsh but.......

You had both a local building contractor that has built pole sheds in your area in the past and a local building inspector that knows your area; tell you what they think is best for your area; yet you second guess and ask out of state; different climate zone; different soil type; guys on the internet what they think is best.
Once again while it is harsh; that statement may drive home the point to where you trust your local guys.

Since your soil type is such that it will pond water you want to refill with the same soil. Yes it will be muck when it rains as the soil is not packed good. You can not pack it like nature can.
The only chance you have of packing the clay soil is in 1 foot lifts flooding the soil and letting it dry out between lifts.
That is not production feasible.

So put the original soil back in the hole; pack it as well as you can and let nature do the final packing for you. As the moisture drains down threw the soil it will pull the fine parts of soil with it packing it tighter and tighter.

If you want to try and stop uplifting make the hole wedge shaped (bigger at the bottom). Pour a concrete footer in the bottom of the hole and let it set up. Drill a hole threw your post a few inches up and install a large piece of rebar; then pour a foot thick piece of concrete around the bottom of the post. The rebar will hold the post tight to the concrete; and the wedge shape will not allow the whole chunk of concrete to move up in the hole.
A couple pieces of 2x6 the length of your hole width nailed across the bottom of the post will substitute for the rebar. In fact if you use 2x6 you can forget the chunk of concrete and just backfill with soil.
If you use the concrete do not pour the footer and this chunk of concrete at the same time. You want water to be able to drain out between them.

I can not stress enough getting the right wood. You said it is for below ground contact but then said it is laminated poles. I assume three 2x6's nailed together. If you want to second guess someone this is the place to do it. Can you quote; or even bother to ask; what level of treatment; and what chemical was used; to treat this wood. If you do not know this is the guy I would be sending a second guess email to.
You can buy poles with no fear of rotting out. We use them for docks in saltwater applications. The cost of them is the limiting factor for use in a pole shed.

Now once you get the poles in pile a wedge of dirt around the pole to where water drains away from the pole. You want as little water as possible going down in the now filled hole.

Look at where telephone poles rot.
Right at the soil surface and the top of the pole.
The top is not a problem for you as a roof will be installed but the soil surface is where you need to protect.

Hope this helps you. Sorry I was so to the point but what you are going threw is a common problem.

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