How To Remove A Lamp Post

A decorative lamp post can brighten up a lawn or provide much-needed evening light, but it may need to be removed when remodeling the landscaping or if the light stops working. The most labor-intensive part of removing a lamp post is the digging required to get under it, depending on how deeply the base of the lamp post is buried. Because electrical cables running to lamp posts can remain buried, long strips of lawn don't need to be ripped up, which makes the removal much easier.

Step 1

Turn off the circuit breaker that connects the lamp post with the building's main power. Use a voltage tester to confirm that the power is off before removing the wires leading from the circuit breaker or a junction to the post. Voltage testers are found at any hardware store, and can be as simple as two leads with a light bulb attached. When the leads are placed on the wires, the bulb will light up if there is electricity in the wires.

Step 2

Dig around three sides of the lamp post until you reach the bottom of the base. Often, lamp posts are buried in concrete that sets quite deep. If this is the case, break the concrete off just below the base of the lamp post with a tanker bar.

Step 3

Shove the tanker bar into the soil on the side of the lamp post that wasn't dug. Pull backwards on the tanker bar to apply leverage on the lamp post and knock it free of the soil. Have a helper stand opposite to catch the lamp post as it topples.

Step 4

Lift the lamp post and place it in the wheelbarrow for easy removal. Cut the wires leading into the post with a pair of wire cutters. If a new lamp post will be installed in the future, cap the ends of the wires with waterproof, brightly colored wire caps.

Step 5

Use a shovel to fill in the hole. Depending on how deep the lamp post was buried, one or two additional bags of soil may be required to level off the area. Wheel away the lamp post in the wheelbarrow.