Gateposts in Oak

[Taab]

Hello,

I am in the process of replacing the fence at home and will also be replacing the gate posts. The new gate posts are 25*25cm oak and approximately 1.5m long each. I plan to sink them a bit into the ground for stability. How should I proceed to avoid rot in the part of the post that is in the ground?

Stone foundation around?
Paint with asphalt?
Paint with sleeper oil?

I want them to last a long time.

 

[Liteavvarje]

Is dependent on what is in the ground, clay retains moisture, cracks the posts, if unlucky within a couple of years, can become a lake in the pit, more info about the conditions in the ground.

 

[Taab]

At the bottom pinnmo, above sandy soil in the places I've dug nearby

 

[Liteavvarje]

Pinnmo can be dense, but some let water through, sandy soil is good, not really sure here, but maybe grease the logs with a lot of tar or asphalt and have a stone chest around, should work, but surely someone will come in here with opinions, so wait a bit

 

[heimlaga]

The old method is to burn the part that is to go into the ground up to 10-20 cm above ground. Either burn them in a wood fire or with a blowtorch, and the surface should be thoroughly charred. Then pack stones in the hole around the posts so it's well-drained. Since the wood decays fastest at the ground level, it pays to manage the grass and brush around the posts to keep it as dry as possible at the ground surface.

You can apparently extend the durability even more by wrapping the burned underground part of the posts in birch bark, but I've never tried that.

Gate posts are disposable items no matter what you do... unless you make them out of granite ;-)