weedsportpete
Silver Member
I thought I'd ask... I've seen references to frost lines and frost heave quite often here, but I'd like to get some specific information on the subject to fill in the gaps.. I'd appreciate any information.
When someone says the frost line is 4 feet down (ours is 42"), does that mean the entire support thingy going in the ground must be below 4 feet? Or does at least part of it have to be below the frost line? What part of it? Is the portion determined by weight? What if you are putting in a post - obviously most of it will be above the frost line, so how much must be below the frost line? (Lets say I have an 8 foot post, and the frost line is 4 feet down - does it have to go 5 feet down?? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
The other questions on the subject have to do with the ground around the area you are digging out - if you are digging for a foundation / pier / support, and you dig down to or below the frost line, do your thing and then fill in around the area with dirt, haven't you just disturbed the area enough so that the frost line will now have moved farther down, because the dirt above is not settled anymore? Is that ok, or will it be ok in a few years?
Thanks, Pete
When someone says the frost line is 4 feet down (ours is 42"), does that mean the entire support thingy going in the ground must be below 4 feet? Or does at least part of it have to be below the frost line? What part of it? Is the portion determined by weight? What if you are putting in a post - obviously most of it will be above the frost line, so how much must be below the frost line? (Lets say I have an 8 foot post, and the frost line is 4 feet down - does it have to go 5 feet down?? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
The other questions on the subject have to do with the ground around the area you are digging out - if you are digging for a foundation / pier / support, and you dig down to or below the frost line, do your thing and then fill in around the area with dirt, haven't you just disturbed the area enough so that the frost line will now have moved farther down, because the dirt above is not settled anymore? Is that ok, or will it be ok in a few years?
Thanks, Pete