Cement or not

[mass_burner]

I'm leary of setting posts for an outdoor shower with cement. I've had to break apart a mess of concrete attached to a rotted light post before. But I also want it strong. I've gotten by with just compacted dirt with a mailbox and light post, but there's not much stress on these.

Will filling a bucket with cement make it easier to dig out if necessary?

 

[blades]

I'm leary of setting posts for an outdoor shower with cement. I've had to break apart a mess of concrete attached to a rotted light post before. But I also want it strong. I've gotten by with just compacted dirt with a mailbox and light post, but there's not much stress on these.

Will filling a bucket with cement make it easier to dig out if necessary?

no , but if you mount a big loop in it when wet it makes life tolerable to pull it out after doing a bit of digging- any number of ways to encourage it then

 

[mass_burner]

no , but if you mount a big loop in it when wet it makes life tolerable to pull it out after doing a bit of digging- any number of ways to encourage it then

Ahhh, loop of what, nylon rope?

 

[Montanalocal]

I would be leary of cement too. It is inevitable that wood will shrink over time as it dries, opening up a crack around itself and forming a container in the cement that water will drain into and sit, providing ideal conditions for rot. I have done a fair amount of fencing, and I have always had good luck with just tamping good moist soil all around the post working in lifts so each layer is well tamped before adding more soil. You could throw a bit of gravel in the bottom of the hole for drainage. And of course, use pressure treated posts.

 

[begreen]

I set our pressure treated entry posts in cement but the bottom of the wood was set in gravel up to about 4" for drainage, then the cement collar was poured.

 

[Montanalocal]

That sounds like it would work.

 

[mass_burner]

I set our pressure treated entry posts in cement but the bottom of the wood was set in gravel up to about 4" for drainage, then the cement collar was poured.

I went ahead and did it this way. The pt was well dried.

 

[greg13]

concrete pier & steel post base.
http://www.lowes.com/pd/USP-Steel-G185-Post-Base-Common-4-in-Actual-3-562-in/3366740

 

[Lake Girl]

Too late to help you but I would have added a couple metal lifting loops embedded into the side of the concrete pour... similar to the lifting loops they use on covers for the concrete septic tanks.

 

[mass_burner]

Too late to help you but I would have added a couple metal lifting loops embedded into the side of the concrete pour... similar to the lifting loops they use on covers for the concrete septic tanks.

If the worse case happens, I could just attach a masonry lag bolt with a chain on the end to the cement clump.