Post hole keeps filling with water

I dont think you're supposed to actually put the wooden posts IN the soil or in concrete.
By "I don't think", it means "I know".

You sonotube a concrete form inside the hole, while the concrete is still mushy, you put in a rebar bracket that goes over the soil.
Once it is all dry, the wooden posts get bolted onto the bracket.

Um - for decks you do that, not with fences.

TBH - I have no idea why. I needed to fix 2 fence posts and just bought one of those green spikes with a 4x4 holder on top. It works because the posts are in the middle, so everything is tied together by the other posts so its ridged.

however - maybe someone can explain why the post is suppoosed to go in the ground.

northernwarrior wrote: ↑however - maybe someone can explain why the post is suppoosed to go in the ground.

They're not.
I think OP skimmed over the installation manual of his fence.

here's what I do when the hole is too big. you can lift the post a bit so the concrete can flow under it

[IMG]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww10 ... 1/post.jpg[/IMG]

alkizmo wrote: ↑They're not.
I think OP skimmed over the installation manual of his fence.

Pretty much every guide I have found (for our part of the world at least) says the post should be set in concrete. E.g.
http://www.homedepot.ca/know-how/projec ... ence-posts
http://www.wikihow.com/Install-(Set)-a-Wood-Fence-Post
http://www.fencespecialists.com/fencing ... ence-posts

The bracket method doesn't seem sturdy to me.

northernwarrior wrote: ↑Um - for decks you do that, not with fences.

TBH - I have no idea why. I needed to fix 2 fence posts and just bought one of those green spikes with a 4x4 holder on top. It works because the posts are in the middle, so everything is tied together by the other posts so its ridged.

however - maybe someone can explain why the post is suppoosed to go in the ground.

You are correct, fence posts need to be buried to be rigid enough to resist lateral forces. A deck post is set on the cement above ground as it just holds a load, it is tied to other framing members to resist lateral forces. A fence post is basically on its own to resist sideways forces so goes in ground to siffen it up.

OP....you need to prevent water from entering the hole after the post is set in concrete....pack that hole tight around the sono tube with clay you dug out... every 6" tamp it in place. Above ground grade away from the sono tube. You can't have water collecting in the hole under the post...and in heavy clay soil you can't add drainage.

I filled a deck post hole with water in Stouffville last month....2 days later the water was at the same level!

monomono wrote: ↑Pretty much every guide I have found (for our part of the world at least) says the post should be set in concrete. E.g.
http://www.homedepot.ca/know-how/projec ... ence-posts
http://www.wikihow.com/Install-(Set)-a-Wood-Fence-Post
http://www.fencespecialists.com/fencing ... ence-posts

The bracket method doesn't seem sturdy to me.

The bracket method is by no means sturdy. However what I did was added a long 2x4 to tie into post 1&3. Post 2 then was screwed down. This made it alot more rigid. Was this right - no. Was this a quick fix - yes.

I did this on both sides of fence. If I had more then 1 post on each side of fence, or a post at either end, I would be digging ( and we are ALL FLIPPIN rock ie. 18 holes dug out for my deck. I thought I was going to die afterwards lol )

End of day - It looks exactly the same as I have 1ft lattice trim on top of the 2x4, so you would never notice the fix I did. It's rigid, but by no means 100%.

You don't want any concrete near the top, you want a sort of bell at the bottom or the ice will push it around. They way i do it is put half a bag of cement at the bottom and level it up. Then pack it in hard with soil and sand around the post. Easy way because you can adjust afterwards, also if it needs to be replaced much faster.