Fence post problem

Hi. A wooden fence post snapped in high winds due to its rotting at ground level. I have removed the post and have a replacement and some wood to repair the fence panels but can't get the wet fibres of wood left in the ground out. They are quite deep and there is concrete on one side. I have tried hammer and chisel and burning it but cannot get it all out to make the hole deep enough for the post. Is there some chemical or tree stump treatment that can dissolve the wood quickly ? Ordinary DIY stores do not seem to have anything.

Hi mahutchinson welcome to the forum I hope you will like it here.

Why don't you close the hole and replace the post's position a tad bit further away from its original place? I gather you anyway have to repair/replace the fence panels so you could make those in the length you desire.

The panels are just having the ends replaced which fix to the posts. they will be exactly the same length as before so the post needs to be in exactly the same place.

I see. OK. I honestly have no idea if such a dissolvent exists, but you could try using acidified ethylene-glycol but I have not yet heard this helps for wood fibres underground (there is always a first time for everything though)

Hey,
I had the exact same problem happen to one of my wooden fence posts late last year. I'm going to repare it the week and here is my plan.
1) Move the fence sections away from the damaged post.
2) Since my post cracked at it's base, I'll dig around the concrete "anchor" and remove it. That sould be fun!
3) I'll remove all loose concrete from the hole and try to level off the bottom of the hole as best I can.
4) Fill hole with 6" of gravel and place new post in hole. I'll keep it as level as possible while a friend pours cement in around the post.
5) I'll check for plum and level again and secure it with 2"x4"s to hold it in place. Once more checking for plum and level.
6) Once cement is dry, I'll re-install my fence sections and remove 2"x4" bracing.
7) Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Kenny E

I resolved this last Summer but forgot all about the forum !

I got a metal spike which supports fence posts on 2 sides, really designed to add to a rotting post still in the ground, but fine for adding a post to afterwards as well. Then I hammered it down as far as possible using one of those rubber contraptions fixed in the spike to hit with a mallet. I then hammered the new post into the spike having measured the likely height and cut it down a bit. After that I filled the hole with quick dry post cement checking the 2 spirit levels strapped around the post. It would have been easier to buy a new fence post but I decided to reconstruct the old one by nailing each strip of wood in place between the posts. Waste of time really but the space between the posts was now slightly shorter and a new fence section wouldn't quite have fitted, because the spike was not exactly in the right place, due to some concrete in the original whole. Not a bad job but quite time consuming.

My fence post project turned out great! It took some work, but I'm happy with the results. All in all I think it cost me about $15.

Kenny E