Fence Gate Post Support

[Mike Goetzke]

I have a vinyl fence post that supports a gate that needs extra support to stay level. The ground in this area has always been somewhat damp even though it's not the lowest part on the property. It doesn't require much force to keep it level. I sunk a 16" corkscrew ground anchor close to my garage and used a cable and turnbuckle. This worked great but after 3-4 weeks the anchor seems to rise (probably due to the soil condition).

I see Amazon sells longer 30" and 40" anchors - guess I could try those. I was also thinking of possibly bolting a steel plate to the garage and attach the cable/turnbuckle there (Not experienced how to do this. Probably not good to put the load on the bricks alone. I assume I'd have to drill through the wall and anchor to the wall studs?)

I'm looking for suggestions/ideas on what else to try.

Thanks
Mike[attachimg=1]

 

[squall_line]

I thought vinyl fence posts such as those were merely sleeves over a 4x4 that was cemented into the ground?

If that's the case, the footing probably isn't deep enough, and I would think that would solve the issue more than an anchor and tunbuckle, but I'm not a fence installer, so that's just a SWAG.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I thought vinyl fence posts such as those were merely sleeves over a 4x4 that was cemented into the ground?

If that's the case, the footing probably isn't deep enough, and I would think that would solve the issue more than an anchor and tunbuckle, but I'm not a fence installer, so that's just a SWAG.

The hole was dug below the frost line (If I remember around 32"?) and cemented in. There is no 4x4 in there. The opening of the post is 4.5x4.5. I see my Menards has vinyl posts that accept 4x4's. Maybe I can dig up the vinyl post and build up a 4x4 to 4.5x4.5 and cement the assembly in.

 

[Peter Kelly]

If there’s a stud wall and not CMUs behind the brick facade, I’d drill through the mortar and run a toggle or wedge anchor with a 4 in long screw into it and secure the post with a galvanized bracket against the wall. There’s probably a gap between the back side of the bricks and the sheathing which would give the end of the anchor enough room to open. If the fasteners ever need to be removed, a hole through the pointing is easy enough to fix. Shouldn’t need a rotary hammer to do this, just a carbide tipped bit in a regular drill. 

 

[Packard]

The only way I see that would make a lasting fix is to attach the hinge directly to the brick wall. 

I cannot see from the image how the hinge is attached to the post, but I will assume it is bolted to the post.

I would get a heavy steel strap about 1-1/2” wide and 0.050” thick and bolt it to the upper hinge.  I would then fashion a bracket that allows you to bolt the strap directly to the wall. 

I think one strap will be sufficient.  If you want, install a second strap to the bottom hinge. 

Both straps should be horizontal and level when attached to the wall.

If you attach to a post in the ground it will be subject to seasonal movement.  If you attach to the fence, you will likely eventually pull apart the fence.  Plus, vinyl expands quite a bit in the warm weather.

Sinking a lag bolt into the supporting studs would be a good solution, but my stud finder will not penetrate bricks, so finding the stud will be difficult. A bracket that uses 2 or 4 short lag bolts into metal anchors would be easier.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up using a 1/4" thick 90 deg bracket and 1/8"tk x 2" wide steel plate. I used Tapcon 3//8" bolts into the brick (should have done this 10+ years ago).

Mike