How to keep a rotary line upright when washing is on it! Is there another way other than concreted into the ground?

[mynaughtylittlesister]

When we moved into our house almost 5 yrs ago, I treated(!) myself to a decent rotary line (a vileda one). It was quite expensive but with a family of five, I felt it would be of good use.

DH dug out a large hole and cemented the spike into the ground, he also put a wooden frame around the concrete - it looked very professional!! We waited a few days for it to dry etc... before we hung anything on it, but alas to my dismay the whole thing including the concrete slab fell over with even a small amount of washing on it.

We ditched it at the side of the house for the last 4 yrs in disgust, but today I got it out again as I am fed up of having clothes airers dotted around the house, and again tried to get it to take clothes - again no luck!

The concrete square is quite large and deep, but I guess what with the weight of the line and the washing its not large enough.

Anyone got any ideas that I can do, obviously my spike is now concreted into my garden . I am desperate to hang washing in my garden!

[HecateQueenOfWitches]

have a wall-mounted airer.

Dig out the post and re-concrete.

[mynaughtylittlesister]

But I am concerned about the size of concrete I would need to keep in place! At the moment its about 1 and a half feet square.

[Lionstar]

Ours is stuck in a metal tube that DP dug into the garden - no concrete. It did develop a drunken lean, but he dug it up and reset it and is fine now. Nice thing about the metal tube is that the drier can easily be removed for mowing the lawn, or when we have a party etc.

[bacon]

Those spike things dont work for me. Taking into account the wind direction. The wind catches the clothes and it leans terrible. ONce there is is a weakness the spike leans to that direction and will continually.

A base above ground will not hold at all. You need the ground to give resistance and as irishbird said youd have to have a base the same size as the line!

I would get a base with say an old bucket. insert into ground. Pour concrete, insert the metal spike and set.

Absolutely no other way of doing it in windy conditions.

This is the way we'll be doing it when the garden is finished.

[hocuspontas]

Do you have a picnic table with an umbrella hole in the middle? We use ours in conjuction with a wobbly concrete hole and it does the job. Ok, doesn't look particularly pretty but it stays upright!

[mynaughtylittlesister]

Thanks guys.

It would be a huge square of concrete if we did the same size as the line.

Hmm, back to the drawing board!

[HecateQueenOfWitches]

What about the wall mounted one I linked to earlier? It just brackets to a wall, opens up (and closes down when not in use) and requires no concrete post or slab at all - because it is just fixed to an outside wall.

[mynaughtylittlesister]

Hecate - I can't justify spending out more money when I have hardly used this rotary line, I am pretty sure it cost over £50 at the time.

If I had seen that first I may have considered it.

[HecateQueenOfWitches]

I bought one from wilcos the other day for £15. Would that be worth considering?

[Fizzylemonade]

Mine is a big heavy washing line and I used a barbantia spike at the last house and it did lean a little, at this house I used a bright yellow drill spike from B&Q.

It is with the washing line stuff and looks like a giant luminous yellow screw that you literally screw into the ground. Was about £13.

I have used my washing line loads, it has 4 sides and holds a hell of a lot of washing. No leaning at all.

The screw spike has a spirit level so you can see you are driving it straight. The only downside is you can see the top of it from 500m

[size6feet]

I used a car tyre. Filled it with stones and concrete and set the spike in the centre of it. I can move it around the garden and use it for umbrellas too.

(Hardboard base and a little drainage hole so the tube doesn't fill up with water and rust the tube)

[jamaisjedors]

You need to dig deeper and not wider, as others have also said.

[eandh]

We have ours set in concrete (we had to move it recently to fit trampoline in) ours only has a 1/2 metre by 1/2 metre square lump of concrete, however, my dad dug a very deep hole placed the pole (still set in concrete from original placing) compacted teh area very tightly ith original dirt plus some clay and then only about half an inch before it was level with teh grass he put normal soila nd compost mix and grass seed and its fine even with 3 loads of washing on it