Best Foundation Piers For Foundation Repair
Piling or piering is the technique of driving steep pilings into the earth to correct the foundation settlement. Choosing the best foundation piers for your property can depend upon your particular situation. When deciding on the best type of pier for your foundation, it’s important to consider affordability, durability, and longevity of the materials used. Opting for cheap, unreliable materials for a foundation could put a property at risk.
At Magnum Piering, we have the foundation repair products and materials that you need. To help property owners determine what the best type of foundation piers is for their home or business, we put together some helpful tips and information.
Why Use Quality Foundation Piers For Foundation Repair?
The main purpose of foundation piers are is to hold and support the foundation of a property. In certain climates and areas, weather conditions, such as flooding, can cause serious damage to a property’s foundation. Although piers are manufactured out of durable material, like concrete piers or steel piers, they can deteriorate over time. It is common that homes built four to five decades tend to have the most foundation repair issue. However, new foundation structures can develop issues, too. Even houses build three to five years ago can be susceptible to foundation pier damage if they do not use quality and durable materials. In the end, it doesn’t matter whether your house was built a few years ago or a few decades — what is most important is that you protect your property investment. In order to protect their investment, property owners need to have quality foundation piers installed.
What Are The Best Foundation Piers for Repair?
As mentioned before, the best type of foundation piers depends on the property and the environment it is in. However, there are many types of concrete and steel piers to choose from. Let’s take a look at the most common types of foundation piers used for today’s buildings and structures.
1. Helical Pile
A helical pile is a foundation pin made of steel. Just like screws, these piers contain helices. Helical piers are used to support structures, especially where soil conditions are challenging and make it difficult to set up a traditional foundation system. There are two types of helical piles: round shaft and square shaft. Round shafts are better at handling compression forces and maintaining lateral stability, as well as resisting twisting and deflection due to compression.
2. Steel push pier
Weather conditions may make the soil around a foundation shift or become unstable. Steel push piers utilize round tube sections of strong and durable steel. A bracket is attached to the pier. The bracket and the pier lift and stabilize the foundation. One benefit of steel push pier systems is that they do not require a lot of massive equipment, making it the perfect option for foundations that are difficult to access.
3. Straight-Shaft End-Bearing Piers
Straight-shaft end bearing piers are fairly simple. Just like interior pillars support the upper levels of a residential or commercial building, these piers were manufactured to ensure that the weight of a home or building is built upon durable soil or rock. When the soil directly under a foundation is deemed entirely useless in bearing the weight of a building, straight-shaft end-bearing piers are often used.
4. Belled Or Under Reamed Piers
These foundation piers work in a similar way to straight-shaft end-bearing piers. However, the difference is their shape. Instead of having a straight shaft, belled foundation piers are in the shape of a — you guessed it — bell. These piers are designed to support concrete slab foundations. Belling results in a substantial increase in bearing capacity while minimizing the quantity of concrete required for the pier. These piers can come in handy when a strong layer of soil is preceded by a weaker layer.
What Foundation Pier Is Best For Me?
Many people ask themselves this question all the type. The best way to figure out the answer to the question is by asking a foundation repair contractor or someone who specializes in foundation piering. If you have a home or business that is placed on extremely deep soil, then steel foundation piers are an excellent choice. However, if the soil of your property is shallower, than concrete pilings may be the best installation option.
The best way to ensure that you are choosing the best type of foundation piers is to get them from a quality and reputable manufacturer. To learn more about MAGNUM® Piering products, contact a team member.