A fence can support your home all year round by keeping it safe and secure. It can have a functional purpose on your property, or it can be an accent piece that completes the look of your home. Regardless of its purpose, a leaning fence can be a problem. Not only does it look bad, but it’s also a safety hazard. If you don’t address it, an unstable fence can collapse altogether. At that point, it’s beyond repair. If you fix a leaning fence quickly, you can keep it from getting to that point. In many cases, you can repair and even straighten a fence that’s only starting to lean.
Causes for a Leaning Fence
There are a lot of reasons why a fence can lean. Some of them have to do with the environment, while others are more related to the way it’s built. In most cases, the fence is damaged or rotted below ground level. But it may be because the posts weren’t installed properly. It may have also become unsteady and is wobbling at the concrete footing.
Some of the causes for a leaning fence can include:
- Poor Workmanship — This is one of the leading causes for fence problems. A bad installaton can cause it to lean prematurely, but this can be avoided by hiring a qualified professional.
- Wind and Weather — Strong winds can generate enough force to cause a leaning fence. If it’s made in a strong style, it will be more prone to tilting because it has a larger surface area. Fences that are made of chain links or iron bars aren’t as susceptible to this problem, because they allow air to pass through.
- Force or Impact — a strong impact (such as pets barrelling into a fence or people leaning and climbing on it) can cause a fence to lean. Collisions from bikes, lawnmowers, and other yard hazards can also destabilize a fence.
- Instability in the Moisture and Soil — Excessive rainfall and flooding can cause the ground to get wetter, softer, and more prone to movement. Some soil types are also more unstable than others.
- Tree Roots — Tree roots can put pressure on your fence posts as they start to grow, which can cause them to tilt. And because they grow slowly, it may be years before you notice the effect they have on your fence.
- Vines — If vine growth gets out of control around your fence, the extra weight may cause it to lean.
Be sure to speak to a professional for more information.
How to Fix a Leaning Fence
It’s usually possible to fix a leaning fence without having to build a new one, but it will depend on a number of factors. Some of them can include but may not be limited to:
- The quality of the original construction.
- The quality of the materials that were used.
- Environmental factors.
- The condition of the fence.
Finding out why the fence is leaning is the first step. It might be because there’s a problem with the base, or it may be because the soil underneath has given way and the post is wobbling around in its hole. What you want is a clear understanding of why the fence is leaning and whether it can be fixed or needs to be replaced.
You can straighten a leaning fence by taking the following steps:
- Remove the soil around the fence post and pile it somewhere together.
- Check to see if there’s any rot on the post, so you can determine whether it needs to be changed or can be reused.
- Adjust the post to make sure it’s in a straight position and that it’s in line with the other posts.
- Add some cement footing to make a post setting. This will give it a strong and upright standing and will prevent any leaning in the future.
- If you can, apply a fresh coat of paint to give your fence a more appealing look.
Once you have repaired a leaning fence, you need to know how to keep these issues from happening again. Here are some good practices for fence maintenance:
- Check the fence for any damage.
- Make sure you have enough drainage for water, so it doesn’t collect around your posts.
- Collect any debris that may be around your fence, because it will keep it from getting damaged when decomposition occurs.
- Cut any tree branches that may extend over your fence, because they can cause damage if they fall on it during heavy rains or because of old age.
If you have a concrete fence that needs straightening and are looking for one of the best Corpus Christi concrete contractors, be sure to get in touch with Streem Foundation Repair.