Video: Preventing Fence Failure

most fences fail because of the post fail. See, the problem is the way the fences have been built for the last 25 years. When we were growing up, fences would last 30 to 40 maybe in 50 years because we used to put the post straight in the ground. And by doing that, wood naturally absorbs moisture, and that moisture usually wants to drain. And so as it drains out, if it's in dirt, it has time to dry as the soil dries. But when you put that post into concrete, The big problem is now you create this bucket both below the post, and so when the water goes to drain, it gets trapped. And so the post then rots out from the bottom up. And once it hits the top, that's when the posts break and the fence fails. So the best way to really fix that is to create some kind of drainage system so the post can drain out and fully dry 'cause if you can get a post to dry, your post typically is gonna last two to three times longer.

An example of a drainage system below a post would be adding six inches of gravel at the bottom of every post. That way the water has a way to drain out, especially here in the Tri-Valley because the, the dirt is so clay-like, if you don't put at least six inches of gravel, that water will wick back up by putting six inches of gravel, it'll allow enough water to dissipate fast enough so it doesn't get wicked back up by the post.