What to check on your fence and gate after a wind storm

A wind storm doesn't need to knock a fence flat to cause damage. Most of the time it leaves a post leaning, a gate dragging, a section of fabric pulled loose or a few boards snapped, and you find out when you go out for the morning paper. Dustin Owen at MF Fencing joked on Facebook about fence gremlins showing up with the weather change, and that's about right. Something shifts overnight, and nobody saw it happen.

Start with safety, then take photos

Before you touch anything, look up. A fence pushed over by wind can end up against power lines or tangled with a downed branch. Keep clear of anything near a line and call the utility. Once the area is safe, take photos of the whole fence before you move or prop anything. They're useful when you describe the damage to a contractor, and they show you which parts changed from how they looked before.

Posts first

Posts are the structure, so check them before anything else. Stand at one end of the run and sight down the line. A post that's leaning, or a row that no longer lines up, means the ground gave way or the post failed at the base. Look at the soil around each one: a ring of loose or heaved dirt, or a crack at the post base, shows it moved.

Give each post a firm push by hand. Don't throw your weight into it. A sound post barely moves. One that rocks, or one that gives at ground level, is working loose or rotting where you can't see. Wood posts are worth a close look at the base for soft spots, because that's where decay starts.

Gates are where problems show first

A gate is a moving part hanging on a post, so it shows small shifts that a fence run hides. Swing it open and shut. If it drags, if the latch no longer meets its catch, or if there's a new gap at the top or bottom, the post has probably moved, not the gate. People often fight with adjusting the hinges when the real fix is straightening or resetting the post. Look for bent hinges, a bent frame and a bent latch while you're there.

Chain link and boards

• Chain link: look for fabric pulled away from the top rail or posts, a bent top rail, slack tension wire along the bottom, and a corner or terminal post that has tipped toward the strain.
• Wood or cedar: look for snapped boards, loose fasteners, rails that have pulled out of the posts and panels that are racked out of square.
• Solid fences: these catch the most wind, so check every panel and rail, not only the section that looks hurt.
• Open fences: wind usually does less to them, but anything that hit them, like a branch or a swinging gate, can still bend a rail or snap a tie.

When a repair beats a rebuild

Repair makes sense when the posts are sound and the damage sits in the parts that hang on them: boards, fabric, rails, hardware or a gate frame. Those pieces are replaceable, and the fence keeps the footings and posts it already has. A tune-up of that kind is a normal job. MF Fencing described one on Facebook that included stretching barbed wire, replacing chain link and top rail, and adding a termination post.

Rebuild is worth discussing when the posts themselves have failed, especially more than one in a row, or when the base of the posts is rotted through. If the footing is the problem, new boards on the same posts will only repeat it. A good contractor will tell you which one it is, and sometimes the answer is to rebuild one section and keep the rest. If new posts are going in, call 811 before anyone digs.

Expect a busy week after a storm

Fence companies fill up fast after wind. Donald Farmer wrote a Google review of MF Fencing after a recent storm had left his mother-in-law's fence and gate "severely damaged due to the recent wind storm". They called several fence repair companies for bids and, in his words, almost all showed no interest. He wrote that "owner Dustin immediately responded", came out, assessed the damage and gave a bid. The point for you is to call early, send photos, and be ready to describe what you see.

If your fence or gate took a hit, MF Fencing handles repairs as well as new builds around Yakima. Call (509) 594-9013 or email mffencingllc@gmail.com to set up a bid. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 to 5.