Lamp Posts for the Dummy's Front Yard

Forget about the wiring, Aryeh?

Not everyone you meet on the street (or the internet) is a trustworthy source of advice when it comes to DIY projects. If we had our preferences, we'd want someone who A) had successfully performed the project at least once and B) was articulate enough to provide clear instructions. Many's the time that an eHow.com contributor fails one or both criteria, which is probably why we call the site (and its daughter niches) the mother lode of misinformation. Today's DotD is another of the site's stable of clueless freelancers, one Aryeh Raphael, whom we found trying to explain "How to Pour a Concrete Lamp Post Base"¹ at GardenGuides.com.

We're pretty sure that Raphael failed our criteria test on both A and B. Let's start with "B": we found the following details of Aryeh's post ambiguous at best and stupid at worst:

"Dig a hole with a post-hole digger. The hole needs to be 30 inches deep. Measure the circumference of your lamp post and add 1 foot to that number. This should be the circumference of your hole. An uncovered lamp post refers to the post without the lamp attachment. The greater the height of the uncovered post, the wider and deeper the excavation needs to be. The hole should be around 2 to 3 inches in diameter around the post."

Our comments?

• A depth of 30" is overkill in warm climates and insufficient in the coldest climates. Instead, six inches below the frost line should be a rule of thumb.
• Add one foot to the circumference? why? Wouldn't it be better to add your constant to the diameter of the post?
• How about some guidance on that comment about the height of the uncovered post? and maybe a mention of the size and weight of the light fixture? Duh.
• WTF does "around 2 to 3 inches in diameter around the post" mean, anyway?

It was just as bad (if not worse) when Raphael got to his instructions for setting the post. First, there was

"Dig a channel that connects directly to the hole you dug. Place a 24-inch long piece of plastic pipe into this small trench. This is where the wire inlet that will power the lamp will be placed."

Ummm, Aryeh? Shouldn't you run the trench all the way to power source (electricity or natural gas)? Shouldn't you run the wiring through that "piece of plastic pipe" before you cement the post in place? Shouldn't the wiring come up through the hole so you can make the necessary connections at the surface instead of inside the concrete? Idiot! and finally, there's,

"Wait for the cement to dry. Check periodically that the post is drying evenly by using the level. Place the level horizontally on the top of the cement. The air bubble that floats in the liquid inside of the level should be centered." Did this idiot really think that you check the post for plumb by laying a level on the concrete pad? Really??? Aryeh's grasp of his project assignment was as dim as his grasp of framing carpentry and headers. That's why the marvelous Mr. Raphael is collecting another Dumbass of the Day award.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but you can still see Raphael's work on the UK version of eHow at   www.ehow.co.uk/how_5994441_pour-concrete-lamp-post-base.html

copyright © 2018-2022 scmrak

DDIY - LANDSCAPING