Pole Barn Posts Rotting Below slab

[sixbales]

Howdy Guys

My pole barn is 31 years old and some of the poles are rotten below the slab. Poles are 4x6 treated. What do you all do to reinforce them to prevent severe windstorm damage?? Thanks for any help

 

[SkipperII]

Make some ell brackets from 4or 6 angle iron and anchor them to the concrete floor and lag or bolt them into the uprights.

 

[Janicholson]

Good idea. another is supporting the post next to it with a glued and bolted on 4X4, then cutting off the rotted material 6 inches above the slab, cleaning out the rot and forming up under the cut post for a concrete pier. Anchors onto the 4X4 to control lift. Jim

 

[rustred]

just thinking that is kind of small poles for a barn. but then depends on how big the barn is .

 

[Russ from MN]

My BIL had the same thing happen, they through bolted a short piece of 4x4 angle to each side of the pole, and then drilled anchors into the concrete.

 

[showcrop]

Wind bracing is installed at an angle between the post and the top plate. reinforcing at floor level does little to reinforce against high winds.

 

[Alvin 41]

my soliution on a 1972 pole cattle barn was to cut off the 6x6 pole about 12"above the floor , pull ouut the rotted bottom ,bolt a heavy galvanised 4' angle iron to the upper pole extending down into the ground and filling the hole and up to the base of the good pole with concrete. Most new pole batn builders offer a version of this ,some offering a concrede pole to bury with a galvanised steel clamp to bolt to the above ground pole (usually 3 ,2x6""as a pole).

 

[Check Break]

(quoted from post at 09:12:23 09/03/23) Good idea. another is supporting the post next to it with a glued and bolted on 4X4, then cutting off the rotted material 6 inches above the slab, cleaning out the rot and forming up under the cut post for a concrete pier. Anchors onto the 4X4 to control lift. Jim

(quoted from post at 12:01:15 09/03/23) just thinking that is kind of small poles for a barn. but then depends on how big the barn is .

When cash is short we build at a standard that's good enough to get by, but some day we have to face the fact that it's time for an upgrade. I've been there one too many times myself. The above are two good solutions. Section out the slab and add an 18"x3' pier with cage under each post. Add a 2x6 to each side so you have an 8x6 post. Use a quality post anchor she'll be there another 31+ years.

 

[sms]

I have used Perma column anchors to bolt to concrete
Perma column

 

[WNYBill]

We have a dirt floor, so I dug down beside the rotted post, cut the post off above the rot and fished the rotted post out of the hole, lagged 2x6 on each side of post and filled the hole with cement. Ours isn't a barn, just a shed. Newfangled treated lumber doesn't measure up to the old stuff.

 

[dhermesc]

Agreed. I saw 4X6 in bedded in concrete and thought someone cut some corners, but it did last 30 years. But they may have been looking at from my point of view. This weekend I've been on the roof of my rental house (renting to my son) putting up 25-year shingles. My son asked why 25 year instead of lifetime? I told him I'm 55 - 25 years probably is my lifetime.

 

[caterpillar guy]

We change a bottom on a post that was an old power pole by pulling out the old rotted piecedrilled a hole up in the center of the bottom of the pole. Drove an old Pole step in the hole in the bottom of the pole and cemented it all in up to the bottom of the pole when dry let set on the cement column. FO square poles /posts I would just do the same thing with a piece of square tube slipped up around the bottom so it couldn't split and drill a hole up from the bottom to keep it aligned and hold it down. Or if put up far enough just drill a hole through crossways and bolt the pole bottom to the tube. I think I'm going to use some longer pieces of round tube/pipe so the bolt would be above tires and set in the new cement with cement inside and outside of the tube with pole inside the pipe/tube.

 

[Pete in Holland MI]

You have to go to a real lumber company and ask for the heavier treated stuff. It does last longer, and cost more, but it's, for some reason, not available unless asked for.