Sprinklers ~ Sod ~ Concrete ~Visual

Q... We are thinking about putting in sprinklers before having a fence installed. Will this cause a problem? 

A... No, but make sure that all sprinkler pipes are 2' off of the property lines and 2' away from any place that a fence post will be. 

Q... Will it be ok if I have sod installed before the fence? 

A... Of course, but there are a couple of things you might want to consider first. If you lay the sod there is always the potential to step on it and leave an "elephant print" and in some cases may delay the installation of your fence as it will be impossible to drive our equipment across. Another reason is to eliminate any potential gaps under the fence where yours or your neighbors dog might be able to escape. If the fence is installed before the sod, there will inevitable be places where the grade is too high and the dirt will need to be removed and also places where the grade is too low and dirt will need to be pushed to. When the fence is installed it will show you all the places where the grade was not perfect and you can then push and pull dirt as needed before laying the sod. 

Q... We are going to have top soil delivered, will it be in the way?

A... Any obstruction within 3' of the fenceline will need to be moved by the homeowner unless Zion Fence deems it out of the way. 

Q... What type of concrete do you use?

A... We use concrete that is premixed from a plant made either by Ashgrove or Quickrete. We use the pre mixed bags as they are proven to be 4800 PSI and have quality control inspections they must meet for the construction standards to be met. Some people will mix their own concrete by using cement, sand, gravel and water but this can be a corner that is being cut and can also keep your fence from being as strong as it can be. Not everyone that mixes their own concrete is cutting corners, but it also does not need to be a salesmans pitch to convince you that you need to pay more money. My father as well as his father and his father before him mixed concrete in a wheelbarrow and as nice as it would be to have 100,000 worth of equipment to mix and drive the concrete around... we do it the old fashioned way and is one of the reasons we can provide a lifetime warranty on our labor. What is most important however is not whether the concrete is mixed in a rotary mixer, a wheelbarrow or in the hole but how much concrete is supporting the posts. On a standard 6' Vinyl Privacy Fence we use a 10" diameter hole while our competitors use an 8" diameter hole. One gate posts we set our hinge post (the post that supports the weight) 28-36" in the ground rather than 24". Using just  a 2" wider hole allows us to put 0.06 cubic yards of concrete in every 24" deep hole to our competitors 0.04 cubic yard. Our gate posts have 0.08 cubic yards of concrete to our competitors 0.04. 

Q... Why do you put concrete inside the posts? 

A... When it rains or the sprinklers hit against the fence, the water will hit the panels and run down into the bottom rail. They will then follow the grade of the ground and fill each of the posts with water continuing until all the posts are full to ground level. Without concrete inside the posts the ground under the post gets muddy (imagine the mud that when you step in it your shoe stays). Combine the mud with the weight of the fence panel + the weight of the water inside the post and this is one of the main reasons posts settle and the once straight line across the top of your fence now resembles a mountain top. Some companies use what is called a "seepage hole". This is a 3" diameter hole placed 5" from the bottom of the post allowing the concrete that is mixed and poured around the post to seep into the post. Now hypothetically saying that the seepage hole works exactly as intended, you are still only getting concrete in the bottom 5" of the post. Zion Fence uses 16-24" of concrete inside and underneath the post depending on ground conditions and what type of post it is I.E. Gate Post vs. Line Post. 

Q... How do you get the concrete inside the post?

A... Our posts also have the 3" seepage hole as explained in the answer above. But to make sure enough concrete is placed inside the post to meet our individual standards we pour the rest in through the top of the post and through the bottom rail hole located at ground level. Also, we want to point out that any do it yourselfers out there need to be careful when filling the post with concrete as anything covering the hole where the rail will be placed will cause huge headaches in the installation of the vinyl. 

Q... How far apart are your posts?

A... For Vinyl Fence Profiles we aim for 77" O.C. (meaning On Center or from center of one post to the center of the next post) which would be 72" in between posts. For Cedar and Ornamental Iron Fencing we are closer to 96" O.C.

Q... What is a U-Channel? 

A... A "U" channel is a 1" piece of vinyl that is screwed to the post and hides the ends of the slats. U-channels can provide an extra layer of protection against high winds but are mostly used to deter the panels from bowing towards the sun. The darker the vinyl the more it has a tendency to bow in the direction of the sun. We can install U-channel on any color vinyl privacy fence but only the darker colors will require them. 

Q... There are some marks on my just installed vinyl fence, what is it and how do I get it off?

A... When vinyl fence is cut it creates a lot of static electricity. Anything floating in the air such as dirt, leaves and grass will be drawn to the vinyl and will cling until the bonds are broken. You can easily remove this dirt by using a garden hose or just allow the bonds to break on their own. Within 2-3 days the sprinklers, rain and moisture in the air will take care of it for you.