I have a fence around a pool made of aluminum bar segments bolted into 4×4 wooden posts, which are set in concrete. At some point a few years ago some of the posts were replaced by cutting out a few inches of concrete around the old post hole and pouring new. But one post is different from the others:
I don't know who did the repair work or how this got overlooked, but it looks like they just chipped the old post out and then stuck the new post naked in the hole. It may not even be resting on anything; it seems to be entirely supported by the metal fence segment
bolted on to it on the left side. When I push on it, it wiggles freely in its hole.
This post is the left side of the gateway, so it only has a fence segment bolted on one side. The other side has nothing but a gate latch at the top.
Right now, everything is working. The gate opens and closes and the post only wiggles a little bit. But I can't imagine the wobbling is good for longevity, so I imagine it should probably be fixed.
I assume the most-correct way to do it would be to cut out a couple of inches around it and pour new concrete, but I lack the tools and don't really want to work that hard if I can avoid it.
I was thinking of just filling the hole with either concrete repair epoxy (the kind for repairing cracks) or expanding foam fence post mix (eg Sika PostFix). Are either of these reasonable or am I just dooming myself to future problems?
This is in southern California (no freezing, not much rain) in a spot that's decently sheltered from wind.
Best Answer
Concrete is a permanent hold.
If you ever have to replace that post, you will have to deal with cutting concrete.
Since the distance between old concrete and the post is relatively small, get some Wedges and hammer them in.
To prevent rain leaking in and attacking the post, seal around with caulk.