Install Telescoping Flagpole

In order to attract more attention for “her” Green Party, Anne decided to purchase a flagpole. Surely, all passersby would notice this new feature on our front lawn.

As is customary, purchasing the item is the easy part of the work involved (although payment in my view is an extraordinarily painful process). Be that as it may, the request was passed on to me to install this “thing”.

This is not just any flagpole either, it telescopes, making raising and lowering of the flag quite a bit easier. Also, the pole actually sits in a sleeve in the ground, on a bolts which passes through the center of the nylon sleeve, so it doesn’t really touch bottom. This allows for removal of the entire flag pole if you intend to go on vacation, or if you are a local yahoo reading this blog and you want to steal my flag pole.

Anyway, the first order of the day was to dig a hole 30” (about 1 m) deep. The diameter was suggested at 12” (about 300 mm), but since our soil tends to be rather soft, I made it 18”, about 450mm. Then, as specied, put in about 6” (150 mm) of crushed stone, and force the sleeve into it for about 2” (50 mm).

Next, get some bags of concrete mix (in my case four) and mix till the cows come home. I tried to be a real pro here, by using as little water as possible, which will increase the strength of the concrete tremendously. Most people are totally ignorant of the fact that more water means a less strong concrete product. In order to keep the pole plumb, I inserted it into the sleeve while pouring concrete and then used the level to plumb it.

Here’s the hole filled with concrete and ready for backfilling with topsoil.

Wait a day, then hook the flag to the top and bottom hooks and extend the post all the way up (20’ or close to 7 m)

Another happy customer…

 

Of course, if the Dutch National Team were to ever win the World Cup, the tricolor might have to replace the Maple Leaf for a day or two…