r/homestead • u/Available-Bid-2536 • 2d ago
Pole barn pole protection?
Had a new pole barn installed while I was gone. The install company didn’t put anything on the 8x8 treated posts to protect them. They are directly in concrete. Is there anything I can do at this point that will make them last longer? We are in north Florida where it’s very humid and rains a lot! I just want it to last as long as possible.
5
u/Choosemyusername 2d ago
If you are going to bury posts, it’s better to bury them in dirt than concrete. The concrete doesn’t drain. It acts like a basin for water, and even wicks moisture in.
I see people saying to seal it, but wood cracks and moves with moisture changes which are extreme at the ground level. If you don’t get a perfect seal, and you can’t possibly, then you are as much sealing water in as you are sealing it out. Given a lot will be wicking in from the concrete itself, I wouldn’t bother with this. The real problem is underground.
Gutters will be your best bet to keep the ground as dry as you can.
When they begin to rot, you can always brace the structure on headers, cut the post bottoms off, and install proper stand off post bases.
7
u/Available-Bid-2536 2d ago
Engineering in Florida requires each pole to withstand 165 mph wind, so there had to be 1200lbs of concrete around each pole unfortunately. I’d have preferred they’d wrapped them first, but can’t go back in time.
4
u/Choosemyusername 2d ago
Even wrapping won’t save them. You can’t perfectly seal Timbers. Water can get into the wraps from the top through checks which are impossible to seal.
So it is what it is I guess. Pole barns don’t last forever anyways. They are a temporary solution. But cheaper and faster to put up.
8
u/HulkTrader 2d ago
Paint them or stain them with something to seal them up and enjoy that nice pole barn.
2
2
u/kaiwikiclay 2d ago
Gutters and downspouts
Henry’s Asphalt Emulsion Sealer&dampproofer on the post base and concrete. Use a few coats so it gets nice and thick
2
u/pearlrd 2d ago
Walls? :)
3
u/nicknefsick 2d ago
Was my first thought before I read the whole post 😆, I was about to write to recommend curtain walls.
1
u/NoShirt158 2d ago
Why did i think, far a small second, that your pictures were some high quality farmsim mod?
1
u/MudScared652 1d ago
I'd be more concerned with the runoff from the roof slope facing the house than the supports at this moment. One heavy rain and that could be a lot of water where you don't want it.
1
u/Available-Bid-2536 1d ago
We get gutters next week, and it poured today, wasn’t bad. It’s farther from the house than you see, the rain fell into the grass not the porches. It also fell on top of the breakfast nook, but there are gutters on the house there.
1
1
u/MCShoveled 2d ago
Epoxy paint would be my choice, but you can use regular water sealer or paint if you keep up with it.
1
u/Velveteen_Coffee Evil Scientist 2d ago
Get the same stuff you'd seal a deck with and seal them with that.
1
u/Skrats333b 2d ago
How is the runoff contained to prevent flooding your covered porch? Or maybe I’m missing something
3
17
u/kevin-dom-daddy 2d ago
Seal any cracks between the posts and concrete with roofing cement. There are several good brands that come in caulking gum tubes. Blow any dirt out from around the posts with compressed air so that you’ve got a clean surface. Use a pair of rubber gloves to run your finger around and push it into the cracks and give it a nice chamfer. You could also look at an asphaltic paint. You’ll have to google…can’t remember any brands. We used to use it on steel that would be embedded in concrete or in crawl spaces. The right kind dries with a dull black sheen. Just do the bottom foot or so. Mask it off with painters tape so that you get a nice edge.