Helical Piers

Helical piers have been in use for the stabilization of foundations since the early 1800’s. The original helical pier was designed as a wooden shaft with an iron helix for use in lighthouse foundations. Helical piers are one of the two most common types of structural pilling for residential applications in use today. Easy to install and easy to maintain, helical piers are an excellent choice for foundation repair and stabilization where limestone and/or load bearing strata are not easily accessible.

The helical piers are torqued into the ground around the structure. This is done either by an 8500ft lb portable auger drive head or one attached to a mini-excavator. For areas which are inaccessible by the main machine a portable driving apparatus is used in its place with the same 8500ft lb head. To start, a hole is dug to the bottom of the footing elevation and below about a foot and a half. The pier is then screwed into the ground with a hydraulic torque wrench. The torque values are measured during this process in order to measure the resistance the pier is encountering. The pier is driven into the ground until the proper value of torque is achieved.

Helical piers are an excellent choice for most foundation problems which are either caused by organic soils, clays, poor compaction, improper footer embedment, and erosion or run off. Helical piers are also an excellent tool for sinkhole work where the structure has settled and needs to be lifted back into place. The helical pier’s main function is the support and stabilization of the structure’s load bearing walls by transferring the weight of the structure off the weak soils and onto the helical piers.

In addition, helical piers can be used as tiebacks or installed on an angle through a wall to prevent further movement of walls, such as Sea Walls and Retaining Walls.