Pole construction... my dilmena with concrete piers vs. in ground

[jimmysisson]

Just FYI and maybe too late for you, but in my earlier post is said backfill with pervious material and ****autocorrect changed it to previous. I don't like any clay around a sonotube ever. You may well be fine with the rebar. Also never had much problem with twisting of 6x6s ground contact rated.
Jim

 

[lineman1954]

Here is 2 cents,fill holes with broken concrete (available anywhere) mix wet slurry of sakrete or your own mix, tamp to fill voids- locate your local utility (might be NYSEG , NATIONAL GRID ) and get some pole buts or sections of pole to be in contact with grade...that wood is already treated.will last your lifetime......2x a year wet down contact points with used motor oil or trans oil.... water repellent..bugs hate it.

 

[tcreeley]

I use piers to build with. I make my own by using an 8" or 10" piece of pvc pipe cut to the length I need. I stick that in the ground and fill that with cement and stick an anchor bole in it to bolt down my sill. It is great in clay areas that are wet in the spring - Maine and it does not heave because the frost cannot get a grip by freezing on to the sides and lifting. (We routinely see the ground heave 6+ inches during the winter here.)
On top of the piers I run a pressure treated 6x6 (above ground level) and go from there with a 2x4 sheathed stick frame. For animals I sheathe the inside as well. The sheathing addresses the wind sheer stresses and locks everything in place. I like to side with 3/4 shiplap.
I've had good luck with this.
PT poles are going to rot eventually unless you are in a totally dry area.
Always make sure you set the piers below frost depth.

 

[mark in portugal]

I dug holes 8" diameter and 3' deep; that was a real chore. I made a tool to help.
Guess I'll post that in the appropriate thread...
I also had water in the holes the next day. I puled out the water with a shop vac and poured concrete it, then set the pole [5-6" pressure treated rough round], and braced overnight.

This is an open RV shelter, with a clear view of the Atlantic ocean. We get some pretty hard wind; so far, no movement. I used a lot of screws, all stainless, and lots of triangulation.