Helical piers, also known as anchors, piles or screwpiles, are deep foundation solutions used to support new or repair existing foundations. Due to their design and ease to install, they are most commonly used whenever soil conditions prevent standard foundation solutions. Instead of requiring large excavation work, they “screw” or torque into the ground. This minimizes installation time, requires little soil disturbance, and most importantly transfers the weight of the structure to load bearing soil.
It doesn’t matter if a foundation is new or old but what is important is that the foundation is secure and stable. Sometimes the condition of the soil causes the foundation to produce a less stable and secure foundation than what is standard code. There are solutions to this problem that make for easy installations and minimizes the time taken to secure the foundation because it doesn’t demand for heavy excavating or concrete cure time. Instead they are piers screwed into the ground. The solution is called helical piers. When installed they transfer the support of the foundation onto soil that is better suited for it.
WHEN SHOULD THEY BE USED?
They have numerous residential and commercial applications. They can be used whenever the job specifies caissons, driven piles or mini piles. When foundations are exposed to moisture over a long period of time or construction is cited on unstable soil, structural and foundation damage rears its head. To repair the foundations of your property and ensure the building doesn’t lose value, they are used to stabilize the foundation. They can also be used to repair foundations when foundation failure becomes apparent:
Time never stops and as time goes on many thing shift and change. That is the case with structural foundations. Over the years, soil can shift and become unsteady as well as exposure to moisture over time can cause problems. As those problems arise the worth of a home or building can start to decrease. Such shifts in the foundation can cause cracks and gaps in the walls and an un-level floor. Underpinning with helical piers can off-set and repair the damage, maintaining the worth of the building or home. The foundation of a building is the most important part.
- Here are a few more tail-tell signs of foundations not up to standard code:
- Windows and doors are sticking, hard to open
- There are large gaps in window and door frames
- Interior plaster walls are cracking
- Multiple nail pops are appearing in ceilings and walls
- Walls are beginning to lean noticeably
- Floors are starting to settle and become uneven
- Chimneys are tilting or leaning
- Cracks can be seen in foundations or basement walls
APPLICATIONS
Residential Applications
Homeowners choose them to prevent sinking or bowing foundations. If you are experiencing cracked foundations or drywall it may be signs that your foundation needs a permanent stability solution.
Have you ever walked into a house and one second you’re going downhill and then next moment you’re going uphill? This is called sagging floors and is cause by foundation issues. When this goes on too long foundations will start to crack and drywall will begin to gap, leading to the need for a foundation correction.
Commercial Applications
Contractors use our piering systems whenever the soil sample indicates a deep foundation solution is required or whenever they want to avoid excavation expenses, such as tilt-up construction or cased caissons.
Contractors require soil samples of the land they are going to build on. When those samples come back they can reveal that an in-depth foundation solution needs to be implemented. This would include the installation of helical piers.
Industrial Applications
Plant managers love our helical piers because of speed in which they are installed. With helical piers there is minimum impact to daily operations and no need to wait for concrete cure time.
Plant owners never want work to stop, our solutions make this possible. This is because of the short time it takes to install helical piers.