Ensuring that the fences and gates of your house are in good condition is important in terms of maintaining safety around you. All fences need periodic upkeep to keep them strong and sturdy. Fence panels and posts are always prone to damage because of external environmental factors like natural elements and rodents. This makes it essential to treat the affected portions of the fence at the earliest and prevent the rest of it from being impacted.
Frequent inspection can help you detect faulty areas in your fence. On noticing any damage, the first step is to determine whether to repair or replace the fence. The good news is that you can replace the damaged sections and make the fence look as good as new with minimal resources. Alternatively, if you can’t undertake the repair job, hire professionals to get the work done.
Read on to know how to repair the fence around your house:
(1) Discard Damaged Section and Clean Metal Fence
A fence and a gate are only as good as the posts that support the structure. When gateposts are rock solid, they can withstand strong winds, and the constant opening and closing of the gate. With time, however, the hinges and grooves loosen as they are weakened due to corrosion or pest attack.
Before repairing metal fences, clean them with a wire brush to scrub away old paint, dirt, and rust. Do not overlook the metal posts. Remove tough stains with the help of a concentrated detergent solution, which can be prepared by mixing 1 cup of strong household detergent with a gallon of warm water.
For heavy-duty cleaning, use a pressure washer to reach crevices in basket-weave fences. Spray the fence from a distance of about 6 to 10 inches to avoid bending the structure.
(2) Remove Damaged Loops
After cleaning the fence, it’s time to get started with the repair work. Begin by removing any part that gets in the way of mending. Carefully remove the fencing with a pry bar or cut the section with a handsaw. Next, remove the fencing and rails connected to it.
Now, loosen the mesh by removing the supporting wires with pliers. Carefully detach the tension bar (that holds the post and the fence together) with a fence puller. You will have to pull the fence tight to release the tension of the tension bar. You can now remove the tension bar by unscrewing the bolts.
For single metal strands, open the loop at the top and the bottom of the damaged section. Twist and pull the strand with pliers. It’ll be easier to remove the strand from the other side of the fence.
(3) Attach New Strands
To repair a fence with broken wires, you will need to add extra wires for the splicing task. You should have enough wire to coil the loose ends of the broken section.
Cut a portion of the mesh in the same size as the one you removed. Twirl it around the empty space in the fence using the disconnected strands. Tightly loop the wire at the top and the bottom of the strand with pliers. Attach a fence puller and slide a pull bar through the mesh. Twist the bar until the strands in the mesh links are tightly looped together.
Tighten the patched fencing to the posts with the tension bar and attach the newly-tied wires to hold the mesh firmly against the posts.
(4) Fix the Gate
When repairing the wire mesh, you can check if the gate is drooping. If you notice your gate swinging too far, that means the hinges are loose and need tightening.
If you don’t have diagonal cross braces at home, use an anti-sag kit which includes a turnbuckle, cable and some eye hooks. Attach an eye hook on the hinge side of the gate and another one near the lower corner of the opposite side. With a turnbuckle tighten the hook to remove the sag from the gate.
Check if the chain link of the gate is out of alignment. If so, fix it by adjusting the hinge pins. First, loosen the pins with a socket wrench and realign them with a hammer. Don’t work with heavy machinery if you aren’t comfortable using it. Hire a local professional to help you with the repair work. So, if you live in the Oak Hills vicinity, experts in gate fencing repair Oak Hills can help. They will use proper equipment with hydraulics technology to fix the gates. This will allow the gate to shut and align perfectly with the fence.
(5) Realign the Metal Fence
Realigning the fence helps increase its sturdiness. The first step is to break open the concrete footing using a sledgehammer and a chisel. Check the alignment of the other posts and break the footing around them, if needed.
Straighten the posts and then clamp them to the cast to keep them in position. Finish by pouring freshly-mixed concrete around the posts. Remove the braces in about 48 hours, after the concrete has dried.
Conclusion
The fence around your house provides security and defines your property’s border. You need to ensure that it is in good condition at all times. Remove and replace the damaged sections of the fence, posts or the gate before the fence becomes too weak. Consider taking help from fence repairing professionals to ensure safe and effective removal/replacement of the chain link fence.
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