Monday, March 25, 2013

Install Chain link part 3

Install a Chain-Link Fence

Whether you want to keep things in or keep things out, a chain-link fence is just the thing. Installing a chain-link fence is a great do-it-yourself project. All you need is a little direction. Lowe's has everything you need to get started.

Tools & Materials

Use this checklist when you go to the store and purchase your items.

Before Beginning Your Fence Installation

It's important to check:

That fence footings don't exceed legally established property lines. If you're uncertain, refer to a real estate agent's line plot, or consult a professional surveyor
Local codes for specifications regarding frontage locations, allowable fence heights, etc. A permit may be required

For underground utilities, call the North America One Call Referral Service at 1-888-258-0808 (or just dial 811) for a national directory of utility companies.
View a printable parts and materials shopping list.
View a post spacing guide and graph paper.

Preparing Fence Layout

Use the following steps to lay out your chain-link fence.

Step 1 Locate your property's boundary lines. It's recommended that all posts be set approximately 4 inches inside the property line so that concrete footings don't encroach onto any adjoining property.

Step 2 Measure the overall length of your planned fence to determine how many feet of chain-link fabric and top rail will be required (Fig. 1).

Step 3 Mark the location of each terminal post (corner, end and gateposts are called terminal posts) with a stake. When determining the positions of gateposts, remember that clearance for hinges, latches, etc., is included in the listed opening width of the gate. Therefore, if you ordered a gate for a 36-inch opening, the post spacing should be exactly 36 inches, inside post face to inside post face.

Setting Terminal Posts

The steps below will help you to set the terminal posts.

Step 1 Dig the terminal postholes approximately 8 inches in diameter and 30 inches deep, with sloping sides (Fig. 2). The exact diameter and depth will be determined by local weather and soil conditions.

Step 2 With crayon or chalk, mark the ground line on the posts. The height, above level ground, of the terminal posts will equal the height of the fence fabric plus 2 inches.

Step 3 Center the terminal posts in the holes. Make sure the posts are plumb and set at the correct height. (Crayon mark should be at ground level.) Surround the posts with concrete in a continuous pour. Trowel finish around the posts and slope downward to direct water away.

Sterling Fence Inc can advise you on how to do this or we can install for you

How to install a chain link fence, part 2

Step 1
Locate your property's boundary lines. It's recommended that all posts be set approximately 4 inches inside the property line so that concrete footings don't encroach onto any adjoining property.

Step 2
Measure the overall length of your planned fence to determine how many feet of chain-link fabric and top rail will be required (Fig. 1).

Step 3
Mark the location of each terminal post (corner, end and gateposts are called terminal posts) with a stake. When determining the positions of gateposts, remember that clearance for hinges, latches, etc., is included in the listed opening width of the gate. Therefore, if you ordered a gate for a 36-inch opening, the post spacing should be exactly 36 inches, inside post face to inside post face

New chain link fence, how to do it yourself

Install a Chain-Link Fence with Sterling Fence Inc's help

Tools & Materials

Use this checklist when you go to the store and purchase your items.

Before Beginning Your Fence Installation

It's important to check:

That fence footings don't exceed legally established property lines. If you're uncertain, refer to a real estate agent's line plot, or consult a professional surveyor
Local codes for specifications regarding frontage locations, allowable fence heights, etc. A permit

Eleven foot long split rails

Sterling Fence Inc. carries 11' mountain split rails in stock. These are hardwood rails and are from West Virginia.

Why is cement called " Portland"

Why is it called "portland" cement?
cement kiln

Joseph Aspdin, an English mason who patented the product in 1824, named it portland cement because it produced a concrete that resembled the color of the natural limestone quarried on the Isle of Portland, an island in the English Channel. Sterling Fence Inc. uses 8 tons of Portland cement each year.

Concrete Strength

In the early 1970s, experts predicted that the practical limit of ready-mixed concrete would be unlikely to exceed a compressive strength greater than 11,000 psi (76 MPa). Over the past two decades, the development of high-strength concrete has enabled builders to easily meet and surpass this estimate. Two buildings in Seattle, Washington, contain concrete with a compressive strength of 19,000 psi (131 MPa). The primary difference between high-strength concrete and normal-strength concrete relates to the compressive strength that refers to the maximum resistance of a concrete sample to applied pressure. Although there is no precise point of separation between high-strength concrete and normal-strength concrete, the American Concrete Institute defines high-strength concrete as concrete with a compressive strength greater than 6000 psi (41 MPa). Manufacture of high-strength concrete involves making optimal use of the basic ingredients that constitute normal-strength concrete. Producers of high-strength concrete know what factors affect compressive strength and know how to manipulate those factors to achieve the required strength. In addition to selecting a high-quality portland cement, producers optimize aggregates, then optimize the combination of materials by varying the proportions of cement, water, aggregates, and admixtures. When selecting aggregates for high-strength concrete, producers consider the strength of the aggregate, the optimum size of the aggregate, the bond between the cement paste and the aggregate, and the surface characteristics of the aggregate. Any of these properties could limit the ultimate strength of high-strength concrete. Admixtures Pozzolans, such as fly ash and silica fume, are the most commonly used mineral admixtures in high-strength concrete. These materials impart additional strength to the concrete by reacting with portland cement hydration products to create additional C-S-H gel, the part of the paste responsible for concrete strength. It would be difficult to produce high-strength concrete mixtures without using chemical admixtures. A common practice is to use a superplasticizer in combination with a water-reducing retarder. The superplasticizer gives the concrete adequate workability at low water-cement ratios, leading to concrete with greater strength. The water-reducing retarder slows the hydration of the cement and allows workers more time to place the concrete. High-strength concrete is specified where reduced weight is important or where architectural considerations call for small support elements. By carrying loads more efficiently than normal-strength concrete, high-strength concrete also reduces the total amount of material placed and lowers the overall cost of the structure. The most common use of high-strength concrete is for construction of high-rise buildings. At 969 ft (295 m), Chicago's 311 South Wacker Drive uses concrete with compressive strengths up to 12,000 psi (83 MPa) and is the tallest concrete building in the United States.

Horse paddock and pasture fence

Sterling Fence Inc. has much experience at designing and installing pasture and paddock fence. We most often use post and board, using 2x6 boards with 5" round post. Otherwise Mountain Split rail from West Virgina is a great choice. Both styles are built to be aprox 50" high , 3 rail. White Vinyl is a nice touch if you are thinking of a painted white fence.

One person's solution instead of coyote fence

I have quite a few coyotes around me (we raise beef cows) and I have a lone llama in the pasture w/ them. She's the BEST guardian of her "flock" of calves. Since we've gotten her we've never had a single loss to coyotes.
Best to get a llama w/ guarding personality traits, but they eat the same thing as the cows, are very easy to keep and need minimal vet care (a shot a month for meningial worm) and that's about it, aside from once a year shearing and hoof trimming. Super easy to keep!

If you can't have a llama in your yard :), consider Sterling Fence Inc. to build a fence to protect against coyote's. Sterling Fence Inc. cannot gaurantee against coyote's getting into your yard but we can build the best fence with the coyote problem in mind. We have found 5' tall fence to be the choice of most customers.

coyote fence

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Coyotes used to live only in the wild, but they are adaptable to change and have persevered through changing habitat; now people who live in urban areas have just as good of a chance of seeing a coyote. Although coyotes can pose a threat and be destructive, instead of killing them, try building a coyote-proof fence to keep them out. Does this Spark an idea?

Concrete Strength

Q: I have heard that concrete can be made to a wide variety of strengths. What are typical strength ranges of concrete and where is it appropriate to use them? Sterling Fence Inc is very aware of the importance fo concrete strength.

Flexural strength testing

A: Concrete can be proportioned to meet a wide variety of strength requirements. It is important to note that there is more than one type of strength property used to design concrete projects. The most commonly used design properties are:

Flexural strength, used for design of pavements (slab-on-grade).
Compressive strength, used for design of foundations, building elements (walls, columns, slabs), bridges (abutments, columns, decks), etc.

Flexural Strength

Flexural strength increases proportionally with compressive strength (as the compressive strength goes up, so does the flexural strength). This property is used specifically for pavement design the flexural strengths of interest fall in a range of 3.9 MPa (570 psi) to 5.1 MPa (750 psi). These flexural strengths correspond approximately to compressive strengths of 28 MPa (4000 psi) to 48 MPa (7000psi). While concrete can attain much higher flexural strengths, it is not required for pavements, and use of higher strengths would have an adverse effect on the economics of the project with little benefit in performance.

Compressive Strength

Compressive strength testing

The compressive strength of structural concrete begins at 17 MPa (2500 psi) and can be produced commercially at 138 MPa (20,000 psi) or more. With such a wide range of strengths to choose from, the following guidance is provided to assist in making an appropriate choice for specific projects:

Residential and light commercial building projects typically use concrete strengths ranging from 17 MPa (2500 psi) to 34 MPa (5000 psi). Keep in mind that the lower strength concrete is only appropriate for mild environmental exposures, and interior concrete protected from the elements. Severe environmental exposures (freezing and thawing cycles and deicer chemical exposure) require a minimum strength of 4000 psi to assure durability. Local codes commonly provide guidance for the minimum requirements, but in many cases do not address long term durability issues.

Heavy commercial and special structures (high rise buildings, long span bridges, slabs exposed to heavy abrasion, etc.) typically require concrete strengths of 28 MPa (4000 psi) or more. The actual required strength may be controlled by the structural loading, durability requirements, special property requirements (low permeability, high abrasion resistance, etc.) or a combination of these factors. Concrete design professionals should always be consulted for guidance regarding these important structures.

References:

Kosmatka, Steven H., Kerkhoff, Beatrix, Panarese, William C., Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, EB001, Portland Cement Association, 2002, 372 pages.

Tarr, Scott M., Farny, James A., Concrete Floors on Ground, EB075, Fourth Edition, Portland Cement Association, 2008, 252 pages