Installing a washing line pole is a straightforward DIY job for most competent people. It is digging a hole, getting the post plumb and concreting it in. The only part that catches people out is not taking enough care over level while the concrete goes off — once it has set, a leaning pole stays leaning.
Allow half a morning, plus curing time.
What you need
- Your washing line pole
- Spade or post hole digger
- Two or three bags of fast-setting postcrete per hole
- Spirit level, or a post leveller that straps to the post and reads two faces at once
- A length of timber and a clamp as a temporary prop
- Optional but recommended: a ground socket so the pole can be lifted out later
Before you dig: choosing the position
Three things to get right.
- Span. Keep runs to a maximum of 6 metres between supports. Longer than that and a wet line sags into the grass. If your garden is longer, use two poles, or add a clothes line prop in the middle.
- What is underneath. You are going 500mm down. Check for drains, water pipes, and buried electric runs to sheds and garden lighting before the spade goes in.
- What is overhead and around. Leave room to walk both sides of the line with a full basket, and keep clear of overhanging trees — sap and bird droppings will find your sheets.
If you only want one post, the other end of the line can run to a house wall, shed or fence post using a wall bracket. There is a square version to match our modern poles, and a wall fixing adapter if you want the pole itself mounted against a wall rather than dug in.
How deep should the hole be?
Around 500mm. That is our standard rule of thumb, and it is also the length of our ground sockets, so the two match.
Make the hole roughly 300mm across — considerably wider than the post. The concrete needs a decent collar around the steel to do its job; a tight hole that just fits the post is the most common installation mistake we hear about.
Remember the depth comes off the total length. A 3 metre pole set 500mm down gives you 2.5 metres above ground. Our sizing guide has the full table.
Method A: concrete the pole straight in
Simplest and cheapest. The pole is there permanently.
- Dig the hole, 500mm deep and about 300mm across. Keep the sides clean.
- Put 50mm of hardcore or gravel in the bottom for drainage and tamp it down.
- Stand the post in the hole and get it plumb. Check two faces at 90 degrees to each other — a post can look perfect from where you are standing and be well off from the side.
- Brace it. Clamp a length of timber to the post and prop it against the ground, or use a post leveller with its own supports. Do not rely on holding it by hand.
- Pour in water, then postcrete, following the bag. Fast-setting mixes go off in minutes, so have everything ready first.
- Re-check level immediately, while you still can. Adjust in the first few minutes if needed.
- Finish the concrete slightly proud of the ground and slope it away from the post so water runs off rather than pooling round the steel.
- Leave it. Postcrete is walk-on firm quickly but give it 24 hours before you hang a full load on it.
Method B: cast in a ground socket
Costs a little more, and means the pole lifts out whenever you want the garden clear — over winter, for a party, or when the kids want the whole lawn.
The ground socket is a 500mm galvanised steel box section, 50x50mm internally.
- Dig as above, allowing for the socket plus a concrete collar around it.
- Put the pole into the socket before you concrete. This is the important bit. Level the pole, not the socket — that way the socket ends up aligned to the post rather than the other way round.
- Brace, pour, re-check level, and slope the top of the concrete away from the socket mouth.
- Once cured, lift the pole out and drop a socket cap in to keep soil and stones out. Without a cap, sockets silt up and the pole stops seating properly.
Stringing the line
Use a proper line. Our 20 metre washing line has a 4mm steel core under a PVC coat, so it holds tension instead of stretching like rope does after a season.
Pull it taut but not banjo tight — some give is right, and over-tensioning just loads the posts. On an adjustable pole the line runs through a loop and down to a cleat, so you set the height each time; add a pulley if you want it to run easily under load.
If the line dips when loaded, that is what a line prop is for. It lifts the middle of the run clear and takes strain off both posts. We recommend one on any span approaching 6 metres.
Aftercare
Very little. Our poles are galvanised and then powder coated on top, so there are two barriers protecting the steel, and they carry a 10 year warranty.
- Wipe down with a damp cloth when it needs it — dirt and bird droppings, mostly.
- Stainless poles in coastal areas want cleaning more often to stop salt tarnishing the finish.
- Do not use wire wool or abrasive pads on either finish.
- A waterproof cover keeps the pole and line clean between washes.
Five mistakes worth avoiding
- Hole too narrow. The concrete collar is what holds the post, not the depth alone.
- Checking level on one face only. Always check two, at right angles.
- Letting go too early. Brace it properly; fast concrete goes off faster than you think.
- Concrete finished flat or dished. Water sits against the steel. Slope it away.
- Over-long spans. More than 6 metres without a prop and you will be re-doing it.
Questions
We do not offer an installation service, but we are happy to talk it through. There are more answers in the FAQs, or just email us and describe the garden.