Hey guys, I finally got around to installing a ground mounted flag pole. I followed the directions and buried the base with gravel, sand, and concrete mix.
The pole has about 20' exposed above ground level and came with a very small American flag.
Well, the flag it came with just did not look in proportion with a 20' foot pole, so I replaced it with the next size larger flag.
This caused the pole to really sway and bend under really windy conditions.
I was ok with this as I simply took down Old Glory when it would storm.
Last weekend, I added a second flag under Old Glory (Maine Corps flag).
Now, the pole gets stressed even under moderate breezes and Im having to take down the 2nd flag quite frequently.

The pole itself is made up of four 5' aluminum tubing sections.

Im hoping you guys have a good idea on how to add some strength to the pole.

 

Fill the tubing up with sand, maybe. Make it more rigid.

 

Yeah, I thought about that. However, my concern with sand is water retention. I fear that the sand would get wet and have the potential to freeze (winter) and split the aluminum tubing.
As it is now, the tubing freely drains into the gravel in which the pole is buried.

 

sleeve it with a 20' stick of DOM tubing?

 

Yeah, not much you are going to be able to do besides fill it with concrete... that pole is not strong enough to support those flags.

That is why that pole comes with that size flag.

Fill that sucker with concrete, or by the next size smaller pipe and put inside of it.

 

Yep, the tiny little flag at the top of the 20' pole just didnt look right at all.
I like the pole-in-pole idea.

 

My dad has a couple of those telescoping aluminum poles and they don't want to support a very large flag either.

He just runs the size that is required.

Filling it with anything is going to be interesting. Video tape how you do it, I'm thinkin boom lift.....

 

Back the truck next to it, put a ladder in the back. Make a big funnel using a plastic jug, something like a gallon purple stuff bottle, something with a big mouth... pour wet concrete in. Pour in about two feet, stop and tap the pole with something heavy and hard, it settles the concrete.

You can do it!

I would just put the pipe in short sections...

 

Ive attached a few shots of the pole with both flags.
As you can see, the sky here is growing dark with a storm moving in this afternoon. Thus, after making this post, I'll have to go pull down both flags.

Anyway, in the attached shots, you can see the slip joints and the 4 sections of 5' pole.

These slip joints come apart fairly easily. It would not be too hard to pull all but the bottom slip joints apart and slide a smaller, thicker diameter pole down the center.
Then re-add the slip joint sections over the top of the new center pole.

 

I would find a piece of dom that will fit over the pole. screw teh cleat to the DOM and drop the top section with the pulley in the top.

btw, where is your light located?

 

Light is located up by the house, hidden from things like lawn mowers/weed eaters and weather.
Its about 35' from the pole and uses a 100W flood on its own GFCI circuit.

 

Insert a 20' stick of EMT and fill with sprayfoam?

 

could have someone weld all the joints aside from the lowest one (so it can be removed easier if you ever decided to do so)... That would take some play out of it.

 

I actually thought about something like that.
I was wondering how much more strength would be provided by filling the entire tube with expanding foam?

We had ~20mph winds with gusts upward of about 28mph. The pole took it pretty well. It was really bowing under a few of those gusts, but seems to be no worse for wear.

I'm seriously considering adding another (thicker) pole inside of the current aluminum tubes.

 

This is certainly an option.