Here at Gifford Fence we have developed some specific techniques to make a vinyl privacy fence stronger and more stable. Professional grade tongue & groove vinyl privacy fence is modular meaning that nothing is actually secured with fasteners. One one hand this is great when we get one of our Central Florida hurricanes, but on the other it is a security risk. The modular construction allows you to just pull the top rail of the fence out of the post & then pull out a couple of pickets.
To make our vinyl privacy fence installations as strong as possible we secure ALL of our posts with at least 60lbs of concrete with a total post depth of 3 feet. This amount of concrete holds that post in place after setting, every time. BUT, one of the cardinal rules is to not shake the post after the concrete has been wet in. Doing so can cause a gap between the post and the setting concrete. This will leave the post loose in the ground even after the concrete has set up. We ask customers to wait at least 48 hours before using gates once we are done to keep it from shaking the gate hinge or latch posts.
Another technique we use is to install a screw in the top rail inside the post wall. Vinyl fence rails have tabs that stick out to help lock the rail in the post. The drawback to that is that the tab is not very big, it is plastic and susceptible to breaking and is not always snug to the post wall. So with every post we install and screw in the top of the top rail, inside the post against the post wall, to hold the rail in place. This prevents the rail being pulled out (makes the fence more secure) and actually helps pull the fence posts and panels together (makes the fence stronger). This is a simple fix to one of the biggest issues with vinyl privacy fence’s modular design.
Lastly is the gates. We custom build our vinyl gates so we can adjust for grading of the ground & make them fit within available space. One of the big things that a vinyl gate needs is a cross member support. Without this the gate will sag. Install the cross member from the top on the hinge side upright to the bottom of the latch side upright. You can use simple matching vinyl V braces or any one of the black metal supports available. Just make sure that it is at least 8’ long when being used on a 6’ tall fence.
Doing these three things when installing your new vinyl privacy fence will make is stronger, more secure & assure the materials lifetime warranty.