Helical Piers
Helical piers, also known as anchors, piles or screwpiles, are deep foundation solutions used to secure 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 thread into the ground. This minimizes installation time, requires little soil disturbance, and most importantly transfers the weight of the structural load to bearing soil.
Foundation Deterioration
Whether a house has a raised foundation or a slab foundation, the underlying soils that the footings rest on can move, causing damage to the house and it’s foundation system. Natural soil that a house is constructed on can consist of a range of soil types. If there is a settlement of soil under the interior or exterior portions of your home’s foundation then it may create a void between the soil and the bottom of the slab foundation. When this void becomes too large the slab foundation can collapse (settlement) because there is nothing supporting it.
How steel piles are used for foundation repair
Helical piers use screw piles with steel shafts. The lead section, with one or more helixes attached, provides the needed bearing capacity. The piers are screwed into the ground with a hydraulic torque motor, and extensions without helixes are added during driving. For the helical pier application, load capacity is determined from the torque measurements obtained from the installation equipment. The helical screwpile is then screwed into the soil until a desirable load capacity has been achieved, and then spaced at pre-calculated intervals to spread the load of the structure. Brackets are then attached to the foundation wall bases and weight is transferred to the pile.
When Should They Be Used?
Helical piles have numerous residential and commercial applications. They can be used whenever the job specifies caissons, driven piles or mini piles. Often they ensure a building doesn’t lose value due to a foundation being exposed to moisture over a long period of time or construction having been cited on unstable soil.
They can also be used to repair/stabilize foundations when foundation failure becomes apparent:
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Windows and doors are sticking, hard to open
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There are large gaps in window and door frames
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Interior plaster walls are cracking
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Multiple nail pops are appearing in ceilings and walls
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Walls are beginning to lean noticeably
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Floors are starting to settle and become uneven
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Chimneys are tilting or leaning
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Cracks can be seen in foundations or basement walls
This system has been shown to successfully support structures in virtually all soil conditions, and can be used for stabilizing foundations and slabs built on questionable soil, as well as seismic protection, tieback anchoring, deadman anchoring and fixture anchoring. It may be successfully installed even in tight areas.
As a full service Contractor Groundforce performs a wide variety of foundation repairs for Residential and Business Clients servicing – San Diego, Riverside County, Orange County, and Los Angeles.
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GROUNDFORCE CREW
1220 Presioca St.
Spring Valley, CA 91977
Phone: 888-290-6574
Fax: 858-560-8960
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