Here is a link to a product I used a while back. Seemed clever and was easy to use. The basic principle seems the wood will not rot If starved of oxygen. I do not like putting posts in the ground with concrete or post crete. Imho the posts have a much shorter life span even if they are tanilised.
I much prefer sitting them in galvanised shoes, which you can buy cheap at screwfix or local hardware etc. Keeps them out of the ground and gives the post a much longer life span.
But this product was quick and good to use. Maybe I should revisit site in a couple of years and see if my fence is still up and the posts have not rotted.
http://www.postsaver.co.uk/

anyone else have any experience with this or something like it?  how did it last over the long run?

would regular ice and water shield from a roof do the same basic thing?  http://www.graceresidential.com/products/product-details.aspx?productid=151
probably wouldnt be able to torch the ice and water shield

John

your "ice and water shield" wouldn't be the same as it's clear that "postsaver" uses a shrink wrap sleeve with a bituminous lining. So when the post is driven into the ground the cover stays on.

However if you used shrink wrap tubing over "ice and water shield" it would probably work (at twice the price )

Ive never heard of driving fence posts until i saw this thread and this product (image on the companys website)  over here we dig holes either with an auger or by hand with a "post hole digger"    then insert the post and backfill   

with this method maybe the ice and water would work just fine 

Good point about tapering the fence post tops and leaving a "fall" around the crete. Having worked quite a bit in Australia I am familiar with the standards and techniques. Setting the posts in crete here is similar to leaving it upright in a bucket of stagnent water as you effectively create a well for the post to sit in which has no weep holes for the water to escape
As I mentioned for my own private client work I would never set timber into the ground and would always use some type of galvanised shoe that would be levelled and set in crete the day before timber install. In the UK the ground can be water logged for weeks or months on end so the norm is to set the posts in a quick set concrete which hardens enough to level posts literally in minutes.
I dont like this system but have used it several times when sub contracting, due to main contractor constraints  . Especially on new build housing the method is to erect quick decks and fences to define the boundries of new developments. The notion of longevity on hedge carpentry here does not really exist unless it is a really high end job .The nasty stuff like arsenic has been removed from the wood preservatives and green tanlith is widely used. Internally tanilised timbers have a long life span but set in wet ground it does not!! Hence this product has come about.

I have no experience with posts that have been pile driven so cannot comment except I would imagine if you were to shrink a post protector around one, then pile drive into stifff ground surely it would tear the post protector off??

Its seems it is acceptable to install a fence or deck in this way as it is widely accepted that it would have a short life span, but would be cheap to replace, very similar to the notion that outbuildings like sheds with bitumen felt roofs and the sheds themselves are disposable. (5-10yrs)
It rains here A LOT........infact for every day the sun shines in Australia we would get Rain.

Years ago I purchased several rolls of a product designed to protect posts below the soil line.  The job fell thru due to a customer death.  I will try and find the material.

Peter

I've had great luck with 2 1/2 inch schedule 40 galvanized pipe. Appearance is rather cold, but you'll pretty much never have to replace them. The Postmaster looks interesting, but if I recall correctly, the 2.5 inch pipe had more wind resistance.