On Tue, 16 Oct 2018 17:59:39 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 10/16/2018 5:49 PM, True North wrote:
I put a shovel or so of gravel in the bottom of the hole. I like to keep our damp soil away from the treated wood.
I do my mixing in the wheelbarrow. Don't recall seeing the dry mix dumped into the hole and then water sprayed on top.


It works just fine.

I have never seen a fence company mix concrete but they usually drive
the posts into the dirt at the bottom of the hole and add the dry
concrete to a post that is already pretty secure.
I have done a lot of this sort of thing setting PVC dock posts, post
wraps and pilings that are in several feet of water. If you make
"cookie dough" concrete and dump it in, the water comes right out
without souping up the concrete much at all. You better make sure you
have your Rebar in because it is still too stiff to push it in once
the concrete is in the pipe.
I did this to squeeze a little more life out of a bad dock for the HOA
while they were fighting about building a new one.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/piling%20patch.jpg

4 years later they are still thinking about it and I have worked on
the pier a few more times.