How to fix a leaning gate post
About Texas soil
One of the main causes of the severe foundation problems our homeowners suffer is the Texas's profusion of clay soil. This is because clay responds to changes in moisture by rapidly expanding and contracting, much like a sponge.
When rainwater is absorbed by soil with a high clay content, the soil expands and puts strain on a house's foundation. This can ruin basements, flooring, and plumbing by causing structural fissures and exposing the foundation to sinking water.
On the other hand, seasons of extreme heat, aridity, and drought result in the contraction of clay-rich soil. The foundation wall may become smaller as a result of this contraction, creating a space where water can gather and collect.
Clay soil also expands unevenly, which means that the foundation of your home could move and change in two quite different ways on the two opposing sides. This is why it's crucial to know how to take care of your soil and recognize the early warning signs of foundational deterioration.
How the movement of the soil affects our electric gates
Due to ground movement and the weight of the gate, the gate's main post will gradually begin to sag toward the ground over time, making it impossible for the gate to function effectively whether it is operated manually or automatically.
Poor labor
Poor gate post installation labor can cause a variety of problems, including leaning posts.
If the main post is not put deeply enough in the ground, the weight of the gate will pull it out and force it to lean towards the ground.
not sufficient Concrete: a lack of concrete causes the post base to deteriorate, allowing the post to move freely in the ground and forcing the post to tilt towards the earth.
low material quality: the quality of the post, such as its thickness and strength, has a significant impact on its strength; if the post is too thin, the weight of the gate will bend and eventually crack it.
What can we do?
The first and most crucial step is to ensure that the soil surrounding the post is sufficiently moist; this will allow the gate post to stay sturdy.
Repairing the gate post foundation will take care of the problem for a long time, and installing new heavy duty gate posts with the suitable thickness will help to maintain the gate operating properly.
If the gate is too heavy, another option is to construct a "support post" that will be installed 2-3 feet away from the main post and will be connected by an iron bar between the two posts, which will serve to give extra support to the main post and avoid the leaning post problem as much as possible.
Contact the A.S. gate and fence experts to learn more about your gate.