Quick Description: Helical piers, also known as helical piles, screw piles, and helical anchors, are a type of deep foundation system designed to provide a reliable, stable base for buildings and other structures. Helical piers resemble giant corkscrews and consist of a steel shaft with one or more helical plates. The helical shape of the plates allows them to be turned into the soil, effectively generating a strong, stable anchor for the foundation above.
How Helical Pier Foundations Work
Picture a massive corkscrew being turned into the ground. That’s essentially what a helical pier does, except it’s engineered to support thousands of pounds.
The Basic Structure
Each helical pier consists of three main parts:
The Steel Shaft: This comes in two types. A round shaft offers flexibility and works well in varied soil conditions. A square shaft provides additional strength for heavier loads.
Helical Plates (Blades): These circular plates spiral around the shaft like threads on a screw. As the pier rotates into the ground, the helical blades pull it down while creating contact with load-bearing soil. Most piers have multiple helical plates at different depths to maximize their load capacity.
Bearing Plate: This flat plate sits at the top of the pier and connects to your foundation. It distributes the weight of your structure evenly across the pier system.
How They Transfer Weight
The genius of helical pier foundations lies in their ability to reach stable soil layers that surface foundations can’t access. When soil near the surface can’t support your building, these piers bypass it completely. They keep turning until they reach competent soil with enough load-bearing capacity to hold your structure.
The helical plate design does double duty. First, it helps the pier advance into the ground during installation. Second, it creates a large surface area that grips the surrounding soil and transfers weight downward.
Push Piers vs. Helical Piers
You might also hear about push piers or steel push piers. These are driven straight down using hydraulic pressure rather than screwed in. Push piers work well when you need to reach bedrock or very dense soil layers. Helical piers offer more versatility across different soil conditions and can be installed in areas with limited access. A structural engineer can determine which type your foundation problem requires.
When You Need Helical Pier Foundation Solutions
Foundation problems don’t announce themselves with a loud crash. They creep up gradually through warning signs that get worse over time.
Signs Your Foundation Needs Help
Watch for these indicators of foundation settlement:
- Cracks in foundation walls: Horizontal, vertical, or stair-step patterns all signal movement
- Doors and windows that stick: When frames shift out of square, openings won’t function properly
- Gaps between walls and ceilings: These weren’t there when you moved in
- Sloping or sagging floors: You can feel the tilt when you walk across a room
- Cracks in drywall: Especially around door frames and corners
Any of these foundation issues deserves immediate attention from a professional. Foundation problems never improve on their own.
Soil Conditions That Require Helical Piers
Your home’s foundation sits on soil, and not all soil behaves the same way. Certain soil conditions make helical pier foundations the best choice:
Expansive Clay: This soil swells when wet and shrinks when dry. The constant movement creates a settling foundation over time. Helical piers bypass these unstable layers entirely.
Rocky Soil: Large rocks or bedrock close to the surface can prevent proper footing installation. Helical piers can navigate around obstacles or anchor directly into rock.
Loose or Sandy Soil: These materials don’t compact well and can shift under load. A helical pile foundation reaches down to firmer layers that won’t move.
New Construction and Repair Applications
For new construction, builders use helical pile foundation systems when soil conditions won’t support traditional footings. This is common in residential applications like new homes, decks, and additions. Commercial applications include light commercial buildings and solar arrays.
For foundation repair, contractors install helical piers under existing structures that have experienced foundation settlement. The piers stabilize the building and can often lift it back toward its original position.
A qualified structural engineer should evaluate your specific situation. They’ll test soil conditions, measure the extent of settlement, and determine how many piers you need and where to place them.
The Helical Pier Installation Process & Advantages
One of the biggest benefits of helical pier foundations is how they’re installed. The process creates minimal disturbance to your property while delivering maximum stability.
Step-by-Step Installation
Here’s what happens during a typical helical pier installation for foundation repair:
- Site Preparation: The crew exposes the foundation footing by digging small access holes. These excavations are much smaller than what traditional foundation underpinning requires.
- Pier Placement: Using hydraulic equipment, technicians attach the first section of the helical pier to a drive motor. The pier rotates into the ground at a controlled rate.
- Advancing to Depth: As the pier descends, the installation equipment monitors torque levels. This tells the operator when the helical plates have reached stable soil with adequate load-bearing capacity.
- Bracket Installation: Once each pier reaches competent soil, a bracket attaches to both the pier and your foundation. These brackets are typically spaced 6 to 8 feet apart along the foundation walls.
- Lifting (If Needed): After all piers are in place, hydraulic equipment can raise the foundation back toward its original position.
The entire pier installation process for a typical residential project takes just a few days.
Why Installation Equipment Matters
Helical pier installation uses compact hydraulic equipment rather than heavy equipment like pile drivers or drilling rigs:
Limited Access Sites: The installation equipment fits through tight spaces. Crews can reach backyards without tearing down fences or damaging landscaping.
Minimal Disturbance: There’s no jackhammering, no soil removal, and no concrete curing time. The surrounding area stays intact, and your surrounding landscape doesn’t get destroyed.
Immediate Load Bearing: Unlike concrete footings that need time to cure, helical piers can support loads immediately after installation.
A structural engineer plays a key part in successful pier installation. They calculate load requirements, specify pier sizes and spacing, and verify that installed piers have reached adequate load-bearing soil.
Making the Right Choice for Your Foundation
Foundation repair is a significant investment in your home. Choosing the right approach and the right contractor makes all the difference.
The Value of Professional Engineering
When you’re facing a foundation problem, you need more than just workers with equipment. Structural engineers bring technical knowledge that ensures your helical pier foundation will perform as designed. An engineered solution means accurate assessment of your foundation settlement, proper pier sizing and placement, and quality control during installation.
Your Next Step: Expert Foundation Evaluation
If you’re seeing signs of foundation trouble in your Hampton Roads, Virginia home, AMC911 Crawl Space & Foundation Repair can help. Founded in the late 1980s by Brian McClung, we’ve been providing engineered solutions to foundation settlement for over 30 years.
As Class A contractors with an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, we bring both technical expertise and accountability to every project. Our in-house engineering team designs all projects, and our own professional crews handle installation.
We understand that your home’s foundation supports everything above it. Our structural engineers assess your specific soil conditions, measure settlement patterns, and design a helical pier foundation system matched to your needs.
Whether your foundation problem requires helical piers, push piers, or another approach, we’ll provide honest recommendations based on what your home actually needs. We offer free foundation evaluations throughout the Hampton Roads area.
Don’t wait for foundation issues to get worse. Contact AMC911 today to schedule your evaluation and get expert answers about the best path forward for your home.
