Took advantage of the Easter weekend 25% coupon and picked up the telescoping flagpole: As usual, really good value from HF. It's well made and functional. Tried a different approach for setting it. Usually set stuff like this in concrete. Had read several different sources that carefully compacted gravel will make a very rigid support hole and works well for poles. Seems to be working out. We'll see what the next high winds bring. Also picked up the solar powered flagpole light, which puts out a decent amount of light, but it's not really bright enough to mount low on the pole and get decent illumination. Will play with it some more to see if I can improve the lighting.
Nice! Can you take a photo of the compacted gravel base? Sounds interesting, but I’d like to see it implemented. I’m guessing this is so that the water can drain better and not sit against the metal as it would do in the wet (post-rain) concrete?
Here's what it looks like. The flagpole comes with a 12" piece of PVC, which you place in the hole as the receptacle for the flagpole. As far as the cement vs. stone vs. dirt and how the pole is supported: Get a dozen DIY/builder types in a room to talk about how to sink a post in the ground, and you get a dozen different opinions. This was my first all stone attempt, and I like the results. The auger made a big difference because of the tight hole it makes. The stone is well supported by the walls of the hole itself.
