How To Protect Your Fence Posts From Rot And Decay!
I recently completed a very large home improvement project building a gorgeous new privacy fence for our backyard. It was a large expense and a lot of work, so when planning the build I made preparations to make sure the fence was built to last many years.
The fence posts are the backbone of the fence. If they fail, the whole fence fails, which is exactly what happened with our previous fence.
The panels of rails and pickets were relatively okay, but the posts were rotting at the ground line, causing the whole fence line to lean and fall. Once this happens, the posts need to be completely replaced, which is a huge job.
Below is an image of one of my old fence posts. When we pulled it out during demo, the concrete broke away and I could really see the failure point after years of being in the ground with no protection. It was interesting to see that the only rot was found at the ground line.
During planning for our new fence I immediately knew I wanted to implement Postsaver Rot Protection Wraps to protect the fence posts and help them to last for years. These wraps use a bituminous liner within a tough thermoplastic outer layer that melts and shrinks when heated to penetrate the surface of the wood, creating an air and water tight seal to prevent decay and ground line rot (the biggest cause of fence and gate post failure).
The rot and decay is caused by a combination of oxygen, fungi and moisture in the warmer ground line section of soil. To combat this, here’s how the dual layer Postsaver wraps work…
Application
Postsaver makes installation of the wraps extremely easy! To begin, I temporarily placed the posts into the post holes and made a mark at the ground line.
I then added two inches to the top of that ground line mark, which establishes where the top of the wrap will be located on the post. The extra two inches above ground are very important to make sure the wraps are effective in locking out moisture.
Now I can simply wrap the product around the post (making sure that the top of the wrap is at the 2 inch above ground line mark), peel and stick the wrap tight around the post.
The next step is to heat shrink the wraps to the post to really lock in the water-tight seal. Using a small torch on one face at a time, I heated the wrap, shrinking it tight to the post. I followed by rolling with a damp roller to ensure a good seal to the post. The wraps cooled within a few minutes, ready to be installed.
You know you have a good application once you see the inner black bituminous layer come out the top and bottom, otherwise known as the black ring of confidence.
A heat gun is a great alternative to the torch. I actually also installed Postsaver wraps on my Outdoor Shower project and used the heat gun method in that tutorial video.
Once you make sure you have a good seal on every side, the post is ready for installation, which can be done by backfill, concrete or power driving. Check out my YouTube video tutorial for even more detail on installation of my posts in concrete. And check out Postsaver’s video tutorials for even more info on installation.
Inferior Taped Products
Postsaver Rot Protectors are the only product of their kind, offering dual-layer rot shield technology. However, lately there have been substandard/incomparable products entering the market that also aim to protect posts using tape. I’ve had a lot of people comment, asking about the differences. Postsaver did a direct comparison 3-day test between the Postsaver wraps and the tape using blue dye and water. The results were very interesting, finding that the tape ends up trapping the water under the tape which only accelerates the rot and decay of the post. The Postsaver dual layer barrier proved to be 100% effective in keeping out the moisture.
Check out this video of the test. Postsaver is the clear winner.
Overall, I highly recommend using the Postsaver Rot Protection Wraps. The installation is an easy, straightforward process that requires minimal time and effort, ensuring that anyone can effectively safeguard and extend the lift of their fence posts. Furthermore, the wrap protection is a cost-effective, budget friendly solution to preserve my new fence investment, also cutting out future post replacement and maintenance costs.
I feel so comfortable knowing that my big fencing replacement project has been built with the appropriate post protection and will last for years to come!
If you have a fence, mailbox, or similar project on your to-do list, I recommend picking up some Postsaver Rot Protection Wraps so you, too, can build your project right.