possible to fix and out of plumb pole in the ground, or just replace?

[Shawn95GT]

possible to fix an out of plumb pole in the ground, or just replace?

I just replaced the 5' pole I had installed for the P* dish with a nice 10' long schedule 40 pipe.

Getting the old one out was a pain in the butt but it came out when I called some friends over to help.

I set the new pole and mixed up the redi-mix inside of the hole. I checked it for plumb at least twenty times in 10 minute intervals when I was done filling the hole with cement. The cement set - I figured it was good to go.

I went out back today to mow the lawn and noticed the pole didn't look straight. Sure as heck the inclinometer shows that the pole is a solid 1 1/2° out of plumb to the West and it's leaning about 1° to the South :yikes

This sucks. The old pole was nearly impossible to get out of the ground and it was in the ground with only a single bag of concrete. This new one has the better part of 4 80# bags anchoring it.

Are there any options to true the pole beyond replacing it? I could dig around the cement enough to let me tilt the pole into plumb and then mix up some more cement but I'm thinking that that isn't an optimal solution. Has anyone else had to correct a pole into plumb?

This sucks

 

[glenn2]

Shawn If you cut the post and then weld a triangular plate to each end you can use 3 bolts to set the plumb.
Not difficult to do and always adjustable.
Ron

 

[glenn2]

Sorry I didn't see the sch 40 part.
Ron

 

[Shawn95GT]

Sorry I didn't see the sch 40 part.
Ron

I appreciate the suggestion.

It is galvanized iron pipe. Aside from the nasty gasses coming off it should still be an option to weld it, right? Or is schedule 40 too 'light'?

In the mean time I've started to dig around it and I'm finding that my placement seems to have been just perfectly positioned to miss the HUGE rocks under ground that I'm running into now. The plan is to dig out around the cement base as is necessary, shim the concrete ancor by whatever means possible to get the pole true, and then evaluate re-pouring.

I figure worst case as that point I can just plant a new pole/pipe and junk this one.

Thanks,

 

[PipeDream]

I've thought about adding a smaller pipe that will fit into the hole of the first and tack welding it perfectly plumb. Then adding a small section the same size as the original over the smaller. Mine is also 1 1/2 degree off but I finally just switched from using USALS to Diseqc 1.2.

 

[Larry1]

Shim dish or add a second pipe

You could just shim the dish mount or motor mount or whatever it is being mounted to the pole. Or have a second pole that slides over or inside the first for a foot with two sets of three bolts spaced around the pole to allow you to plumb the pole by adjusting the bolts. (two rings of bolts spaced apart) Similar to a Chrismas tree stand. Old BUD's had this type of mount to allow you to adjust for an out of plumb pole.

 

[neil_kc1]

When i set my pole a carpenter friend who help me get it plumb said that i could saturate the ground around it iand might be able to soften it up enough to shift the whole thing? concrete and all. i was fortunate i didn't need to do that but that was his suggestion.
might be worth the try.

 

[anik]

I recently had to MOVE a pole that had at least three bags of concrete around the base. This is not really a difficult problem, just a little bit labor-intensive.

All you have to do is dig around the concrete on the side you want to pull the pole toward. Dig down until you can pull the pole back into plumb. At that point you should have a gap on the other side of the hole - if you have something to shim the pole (scraps of treated lumber or chunks of concrete) use a hammer to drive them into the gap, otherwise just pour some fill sand into the gap (or if you have more concrete that you could mix to a rather runny mix, you could pour that in). Once you have the pole in plumb, put sand or dirt around it but every time you put in a couple of inches of dirt, soak it down good (do the same if you put sand in the gap on the other side) and check the level again.

Obviously, for a quicker fix you can always dig all the way around and add more concrete, but that really should not be necessary. Sand and/or dirt should be okay if you are patient and re-check the level after every couple of inches.

Also, if you are in an area where the ground gets soft in the spring (or after a heavy rain), that's a good time to push really hard on the pole (possibly after digging out a little wet dirt on the side you want to push toward).

 

[Shawn95GT]

Anik,

What you describes is exactly what I'm trying to do. I've got some time so I'm not too worried about the digging labor. I'm waiting on parts to hang the dish on the pole anyways. I'm only about a foot down on the east side of the pole and I'm running into some good sized rocks.

I'll get it .

Thanks everyone!

 

[Shawn95GT]

FWIW, digging around the pole until the cement base if just kind of sitting ona pedeststal worked for me . I committed to digging until I struck magma or the pole came loose - lol.

Now I have 12 80# bags of cement holding this pole up - it shouldn't be going anyplace anytime soon.

 

[sharris]

Thats crappy dude. That light of galvanized I could do with my MIg welder, but arc definetely is out of the question. A small tip and a propane/o2 or acetylene/o2 and a brazing rod would probably work as well. I would just try and bend the pole into alignment if its only a degree off one side and 1.5 off of another and/or spend the 5$ on a bag o cement and reset, this time with a brace or two.

 

[Shawn95GT]

Thats crappy dude. That light of galvanized I could do with my MIg welder, but arc definetely is out of the question. A small tip and a propane/o2 or acetylene/o2 and a brazing rod would probably work as well. I would just try and bend the pole into alignment if its only a degree off one side and 1.5 off of another and/or spend the 5$ on a bag o cement and reset, this time with a brace or two.

I went crazy with the cement this time and it's true at least as of this morning.

After I posted last night, and about a hour after I was done and had put the tools away... it rained. It never rains here!

I ran out and put yard trash bags over the hole and waited out the rain shower. It only lasted about an hour. I went out after and pulled the bags and used paper towels to get the little bit of standing water off the top of the concrete. It was probably set enough at that point not to make a difference but I wasn't taking chances.

This time around it's PERFECT. I got the hash marks dead centered on the needle on my angle finder.

I think I did go a bit light on the concrete when I originally set the pole in the ground. The previous hole was maybe 12" in diameter and was about 3 1/2' deep. Now it's about the same depth but 3' around .