Concrete work...

[Mountain Heritage]

Looking for some opinions here....

I have to install some lamp posts along my driveway before winter and am wondering how large of a sonna tube I need to put into the ground? I am thinking a 4 or 6 inch, sink it down a good 4 feet and fill it with cement. That should put me down below the frost line and still give me a good base for the lights? Plan on putting a 5 or 6 foot steel post on top of it (lagged into cement) with a 3 light top. It won't be real heavy on top from what I can figure. Any thoughts?? Anyone have better ideas than using the cemented sonna tube?

[Yosemite Sam]

Twice the size of the bolt circle on mounting flange wouldn't be too big. I would also STRONGLY consider setting the mounting bolts in the concrete with a two nut per bolt system, like commercial light poles use. When water seeps into a drilled hole then freezes, it WILL expand and break the concrete.

[Rhoderman]

If your dirt's firm enough to leave a reasonable round hole without caving, I'd just dig deep, drop in the post, and fill it with cement. That's how I did all my chain link posts and they're holding up well. Use a trenching spade to loosen the dirt at the bottom and dig it out with your post hole digger. 4' is a long way down - I don't envy you...

Also, be sure to crown the top of the cement to shed water, and cap your post to keep water from getting in the top (probably no issue with a lamp). Make sure the bottom of your post is against the dirt in the bottom of the hole so the cement won't cap it off. That way if any water gets in, it can seep out the bottom.

I wouldn't lag bolt it in. I don't think that would last too many freeze/thaw cycles if any moisture got into your bolt holes in the concrete.

How are you going to run the electric?

Good Luck and have lots of fun!

[Mountain Heritage]

Well....went shopping this morning at Home Depot & Lowe's. Home Depot got my money! I bought two 3 head lights and matching ones for the house. I opted to buy just the 3 head portion. I will go to the steel yard and pick up the steel pipe to make the post. I figured I would plant some sort of shrub at the bottom of the post, so I didn't need to spend the money on the fancy post they sell in the store. Save myself over $120.00/ post if I don't buy the fancy ones. I plan on welding flat plate on the bottom of the steel post with 3 or 4 holes in it for the bolts. When I cement the sona tube into the ground, I will use some 3/8" or 1/2" J bolts for mounting the post to. Yes, I agree, the more I thought about it the more I didn't like the idea of using lags....way to much of a PIA for what you get out of them. I plan on running conduit out of the garage from the new panel I put in last winter. I just need to decide if I will use conduit all the way to each post or just use the conduit to get the wire out of the garage and down to the correct trench depth, then use sheilded wire after that?? I would then use the conduit again to run through the cement up into the post to prevent the wire from getting scored or anything. I am thinking if I go down about a foot I should be good for the wire. I certainly don't plan on going 3 or 4 feet down with the wire. I want it under the surface far enough that if I ever decide to put interlocking stone around the poles sometime in the future, then I won't disturb the wire when I have to dig down to make the base for the stone. I highly doubt I will ever even do that, but who knows what the wife has in store for the future

So needless to say.... won't be picking up much Cub stuff anytime soon with the amount the lights cost! WOW!! Still have to buy the wire for it all once I get that sorted out too. Oh well, it will be better in the end being able to see when blowing snow this winter. Never fails, I always have to blow snow in the dark. The walk behind Cub blower I have is great, but the two small lights on the dash can only do so much.

[Mountain Heritage]

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Well I finished up the lights before Christmas, this is what I ended up with. I decided to go back to Home Depot and buy the light posts - they were already painted and had a warrenty for 1 or 2 years. A lot easier than trying to paint steel in cold weather. I ended up cementing the post right into the sauna tube as well. Made a littel brace within the tube with some strips of hardwood and wired them together. Worked out good, acted as a support for the post and held the conduit coming into the tube as well. Then I just pounded in 3 stakes and braced it to the top of the post while the concrete set up over night. Worked out pretty good. I liked it.

[Cubcrazy]

Looks great Mike!

[ACecil]

Awesome job, Mike! Looks very nice!

[Mountain Heritage]

Thank you very much! It was a big job...but WELL worth it in the end.