Plumbing Steel Posts for a 4-Foot Snow Fence Upwind of a Mountain Driveway With a Magnetic Post Level: 8-Foot Centers, a 6-Inch Bottom Gap, and 160 Feet of Setback
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. A long driveway on an open mountain slope can drift shut overnight while the rest of the property blows bare. A short snow fence set in the right place stores that snow before it reaches the gravel. For a 4-foot snow fence, drive steel posts on 8-foot centers, plumb on two faces, and leave a 6-inch gap under the fencing. Set the fence at least 160 feet upwind of what you want clear, square to the prevailing wind, and run it well past both ends of the problem. Where the numbers come from The national Strategic Highway Research Program's Snow Fence Guide has a short section on 4-foot fences for places where a taller fence will not fit. It calls for a 6-inch bottom gap, steel posts on 8-foot centers, and a fence placed at least 160 feet from the road shoulder. The same guide puts the best porosity at 40 to 50 percent, so you want fencing th...