Removing water/sand from flag pole sleeve.

[jmlcolorado]

Previous owners installed a 30' commercial flagpole in my front yard. They did a fairly good job except they didn't seal the top of the sleeve once it was plumb.
For the past year, I've been waiting for the water level to drop or evaporate out so I can plug the sand out, plumb it up with wedges, then recompact sand in and seal the top.

The water just won't go away.
Any ideas on removing the water and sand so I can't get this bad boy straight again?

Only thing I can come up with is a wet/dry shop vac, but not sure how it'll do with the wet sand. I'll have to make an attachment since, if it was dug to proper depth, is going to be 3-4' of material to pull out.

I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Regnar]

I used a Shop Vac to dig fence post, mailbox post and sprinkler heads here in Florida. When doing the sprinklers the sand is always wet and I have never had a problem. Neighbors look at me a like I am weird but digging and clean up are a breeze. Btw I just use the pole with not attachments. Stab it in and pull it out over and over again. Digging 4 feet down takes about a minute here.

 

[slip knot]

I used the wetdry to clean out my flagpole sleeve. I had to turn it so the rope was on the downwind side. wet sand was no problem. necked the wetdry nozzle down to 3/8 tubing that I could drop down between the flagpole and the sleeve.

 

[jmlcolorado]

I used the wetdry to clean out my flagpole sleeve. I had to turn it so the rope was on the downwind side. wet sand was no problem. necked the wetdry nozzle down to 3/8 tubing that I could drop down between the flagpole and the sleeve.

I used a Shop Vac to dig fence post, mailbox post and sprinkler heads here in Florida. When doing the sprinklers the sand is always wet and I have never had a problem. Neighbors look at me a like I am weird but digging and clean up are a breeze. Btw I just use the pole with not attachments. Stab it in and pull it out over and over again. Digging 4 feet down takes about a minute here.

Man I wash the soil was that workable here
I'd be here for a month whilst making zero progress if I used the shop vac exclusively for digging here.
I had to get a skid steer with a trencher attachment to dig down 12" for a railroad tie retaining wall recently. And it was struggling.



Thanks for the replays guys. Glad to see I'm on the right track. It's been driving me nuts for a year now, and it's about time I straighten it out.

 

[toplessHO]

why not use a garden hose with some pressure.
reduce down to a hose that will fit and wash away
Here in the sandbar state we can jet down a well 100ft deep
with a garden hose. Fun job in the hot summer,not so fun in winter.

 

[Northislander]

i use the garden hose method quite often to get sand out of the sleeve for a curbstop and the shopvac will pull rocks up to 3" stuck to the end of the hose as you carefully lift them out

 

[Radix2]

What you have discovered is that poles are great rain and condensation collectors, the water collects and runs down the pole, that is why it never dries out,

 

[chruler]

Can you just drill a small hole in the bottom and use that as a regular drain so you'll never have to worry about it again?

 

[Marctrees]

I may be brain deficient, but after re reading 5 times, I have NO understanding what this post is about.

Is there sand inside some "sleeve" ?

Is this more complex than just a pipe in the ground??

Isn't it just a Long (tall) pipe in the ground purposed for a flagpole?


In the OP, what the heck does "plug the sand out" mean??

And "Wedges"????????????

WOWW, Totally lost, but very curious. Marc

 

[59 wagon man]

hardware stores sell an attachment for a garden hose to dig under sidewalks . one end screws onto the hose ,then you add whatever length of 3/4" pvc pipe for your needs and then there is a nozzle which gets glued on the other end of the 3/4" pvc

 

[Marctrees]

If it's just a pipe in the ground and not plumb, just jet around it, plumb it, and brace for a few days or more.

Is there more to this I don't understand ?

Is there maybe a bigger pipe in the ground acting as a foundation, with a smaller tall pipe inside of it, with sand around it?????????????? Marc

 

[Jeepster04]

I may be brain deficient, but after re reading 5 times, I have NO understanding what this post is about.

Is there sand inside some "sleeve" ?

Is this more complex than just a pipe in the ground??

Isn't it just a Long (tall) pipe in the ground purposed for a flagpole?


In the OP, what the heck does "plug the sand out" mean??

And "Wedges"????????????

WOWW, Totally lost, but very curious. Marc

I was thinking the same thing! I even typed out a post but deleted it knowing I must just be an idiot... Why would a flag pole be full of sand?!

This has got me rolling.

 

[woodzy]

To help the people that don't understand commercial flag poles come with a sleeve that you put the pole into. Here is an example - the sleeve ID is 8" and the flag pole is 5". You concrete the sleeve in place and if it not perfectly plumb, that is OK. Once concrete has dried, you then place the pole in the center of the sleeve. There is a wire t-pee looking thing in the bottom that center it on the ID of the flag pole and you plumb the flag pole with some shims between the pole and sleeve. Once you get it nice an plumb you take sand and start to add the sand between the sleeve ID and the and the flag OK - tap the sand firm - add more and continue to you are about 1" from the top. At that point, you then add something to seal it on the top - I used two part urethane.

Now you have a perfectly plumb pole and if you ever need to remove it to say replace the pulley at the top - you just remove the sand and pull out the pole and you don't disturb the soil around it...

 

[allenb12]

I have probably set two dozen just like that.