Just realized I've been setting post holes wrong for like a decade lol

On a job in Boise last month, the ground was pure river rock. My usual method of a post hole digger and a bar was taking forever. I remembered an old guy at a supply house once mentioned using a pressure washer to blast out the fines around the rocks. Figured it was worth a shot. Hooked my little electric unit up to the client's spigot and went at it. It worked... way too well. Ended up with a hole three times the diameter I needed and a mud slurry that took two days to dry out enough to set the post. Had to bring in a ton of extra concrete. Learned that trick needs a very specific soil type and a lot more control than I had. What's your go-to method for rocky ground that isn't a full-on mini excavator?

3 comments

3 Comments

seanjohnson16d ago

So you basically water jetted a giant mud pit, that's wild. What kind of flow rate were you running on that electric washer, and did you try using just a garden hose nozzle first to see if that would've given you the control you needed?

jordan33016d ago

Hey seanjohnson, did you think about how much water that would waste if you tried it with just a hose?

kareng279d ago

Actually, a hose can be pretty efficient with the right nozzle. You get more control over the flow than people think. It just depends on the job.