Why Choose Helical Piers for Foundation Repairs?
What Are Helical Piers? How Do They Work?
The key to answering the question “Why choose helical piers?” is understanding what they are. Helical piers, sometimes called helical anchors, helical screwpiles or helical piles, are steel foundation pins with helices. You can think of a helical pier as being “foundation screws.”
Helical piers are installed by drilling through the soil that is shifting, to stable load-bearing strata. After the installation has reached the specified depth and verified capacity, a steel foundation bracket is connected to the ECP helical pier and your home’s foundation. Helical piers can be installed inside or outside a building’s structure.
During installation:
- Small excavations (usually about 3 feet square) are dug at the foundation to allow access for each pier.
- The foundation footing is notched to place a pier bracket under the building’s stem wall.
- A utility bracket is secured to the footing using anchor bolts.
- Using a hydraulic motor, the helical pier is pushed into the soil.
- Helical pier installation continues until the desired torque is reached in load-bearing soil.
- Once all piers have been installed and load tested, lifting head assemblies and hydraulic lifting rams are placed on the piers and connected to hydraulic pumps.
- The building’s load is then transferred from the failing soil under the foundation to the pier system. The structure is gently and evenly lifted to as close as the original elevation as the structure will allow.
- The soil that was excavated at each pier placement site is replaced and compacted, leaving the area neat and clean.
When Should Helical Piers Be Used?
Helical piers can be used for new or existing residential or commercial structures. If a building is on unstable soil, especially if the soil has been exposed to moisture for long periods of time, helical piers can be used to establish a stable foundation.
There are a number of signs of an unstable foundation including:
- Bowing or leaning walls
- Cracked plaster
- Windows or doors that are sticking or hard to open
- Gaps around window or door frames
- Tilting chimneys
- Cracks in basement or foundation walls
- Uneven or sloping floors
- Cracks or gaps along the roofline
- Water in the basement
Why choose helical piers?
To put it simply, helical piers are the most commonly used foundation repair product today for a few reasons:
1. They Make Foundation Repairs Simple
ECP’s helical piers are simple to install yet permanently stabilize foundations. In fact, there is little to no vibration during installation and they install below active soils. Our helical piers are mechanically drilled through soils to reach load-bearing strata without the resistance of the structure. Additionally, the installed torque correlates to capacity, and all-weather installation makes ECP helical piers the preferred choice by foundation repair contractors all across the nation.
2. Helical Piers Allow for Immediate Load Transfer
Upon installation of the foundation brackets, the load of the structure is immediately transferred to the piers. This process is quick and simple. Ultimately, this is how helical piers allow for immediate load transfer.
3. They Don’t Require Large Equipment
Small excavation and drilling equipment are all that’s needed to complete the job! There’s no need for large construction or excavation equipment to install helical piers which means little to no disturbance to the job site. Simply dig out the foundation in the specified installation areas, install the helical anchors, and backfill the excavation sites.
How Long Do Helical Piers Last?
Why choose helical piers? It is an easy choice! Helical piers are considered a permanent foundation repair solution. They’re designed to last as long as the structure itself, which may be a century or longer. Our ECP helical piers also come with an industry-leading 25-year warranty.
Interested in Adding ECP Helical Piers to Your Foundation Repair Company?
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