I am putting up short sections of aluminum fencing inside my patio in the back and up one side, to deter people & pets from jumping off the patio at those points. A gazebo is going to be permanently set up on this patio, inside the fence sections.
I am going to set the aluminum fence posts into concrete. The posts provided are 56" tall, the fence panels are 45". I live in Maine, so I need to put forms in and set them below the frost line (4') yet it states in the installation directions that "The posts themselves do NOT have to go below the frost line, however, for proper installation."
My question is, how do I keep the fence post at the proper height and plumb, if it is not going to have the stability of reaching the bottom of the hole?
Best Answer
The forms have a top. You temporarily attach something to the post that holds it at the proper height when sitting on the top of the form, and you set a couple of temporary wooden stakes at 90 degrees to each other from the form that hold diagonal braces that hold the post plumb, and leave all of those in place until the concrete sets. With aluminum posts this might involve a lot of clamps to hold the post to the braces and supports.