Seems like a simple question, but I have been searching for a while. Everything I find is about the depth of the hole for the concrete, not the depth of the post.
I want to know how far a post must go into a concrete hole. The concrete is well set, but has some muck in it. I need to know how deep does the post go, so that I know how much muck to clear.
Posts are wood. Post/hole width varies 2→3 inches (don't ask). Fence height will be about 4 feet.
So how much post needs to be in the concrete, so that the concrete can hold the post?
Best Answer
Welcome back!
If I understand correctly, you have concrete in the ground already and there's a hole in the middle of the concrete and you want to put the post into the hole. The general rule is that 1/3 to 1/2 of the post's height above ground should be below ground, so if your post will show 48" above ground then you should have
below ground at a minimum, up to
would probably be better.
While I don't see any inherent reason why it won't work, it does seem odd to be putting posts into precast concrete plugs in the ground. It's also a bit odd that the holes in the concrete are 2" - 3" around. As noted in one of the comments, I'm not sure what kind of fence post you'll be putting into this hole. Will you be trimming down a 4x4" post?
You may consider using some sort of steel post to lever these chunks of concrete out of the ground and pouring new concrete in place around your new posts.