foundation piering Archives

February 10, 2018 by Ron Lee

Foundation Piers – How Do They Work?

What are foundation piers? Most homeowners have never even heard of the term until they started experiencing foundation problems. Of course, there are various remedies for different types of foundation movement. You can learn more about them HERE. The purpose of this article is to discuss the concept and technique of foundation piering to give you a better understanding of how the system works.

What is Foundation Piering?

Piering is the process of driving sections of steel pipe or concrete pilings underneath of a foundation in order to stabilize it and prevent further movement. The piers are pushed into the ground with a hydraulic pump. Concentrically loaded foundation piers are installed directly under the center of the wall being lifted and use the foundation as resistance to push the pier into the ground. The piers must be driven deep enough to hit bedrock or other stable strata in order to be effective. This serves as the strong base needed to support the piers which in turn support the foundation. Piering is the strongest and most dependable method of stabilizing a foundation that is settling or sinking.

There are various types of foundation piers on the market. The most dependable method of structural piering is the patented Stabil-Loc piering system. This is because Stabil-Loc piers are installed directly underneath the footer (base of the foundation) of the home, which is where all of the weight of the house is. The pier is also constructed of a patented double wall interlocking system preventing failure between the segments. This method comes with a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty and full stamped and certified structural engineer documentation.

Other types of piers are installed next to the footer and attached to the side of it with a bracket. These types of piers are susceptible to offset pressures that can bind and snap the bolts or brackets causing failure of the pier.

Are They Strong Enough to Work?

Note the following information, which can be found directly on the Stabil-Loc website:

Our double walled heat extruded steel tube positioned directly under the center of the wall to be lifted or stabilized and driven hydraulically all the way to bedrock or stable strata provides the deepest, strongest foundation support available.

The Stabil-Loc Foundation Piering System segmented the shaft of the pier into 12-inch interlocking segments so the pier could be installed directly under the center line of the weight of the wall being lifted. The bracket was then inverted and rides against the bottom of the footing as a load bearing plate that rotates as the structure is lifted. The location and configuration of the pier combined with the highest compressive load carrying capacity in the industry makes it obvious– THIS PIER CANNOT FAIL!

Is Piering Right for Your Home?

If your foundation is sinking or settling, you may notice the following symptoms:

Stairstep cracks in the basement wall
Drywall cracks
Misaligned windows or doors
Foundation Cracks

If you would like to find out whether or not your house would be a good candidate for piering, contact us today! We can perform a free* foundation inspection and make a recommendation that is tailored to your house’s unique needs.

Pioneer Basement Solutions has been in business since 1979. We serve homeowners in the following areas and more:

Stark County, Summit County, Portage County, and Medina County.

*Free for homeowners

Foundation Piers During Installation.

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June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 by Ron Lee

Foundation Piering Systems – A Basic Overview

If you have done your research, by now you have realized that there are a variety of foundation piering systems. The purpose of this blog is to give a basic overview of the most commonly used systems.

There are two ways in which a pier can bear the load of a home’s foundation:

Eccentrically Loaded – This type of pier is attached to the edge of the footer with a large bracket. The bracket is used as resistance to push the pier into the ground. Thus, this type of pier creates an offset load.

Concentrically Loaded – This type of pier is installed directly under the footer. The weight of the building is used as resistance to drive the pier into the ground. Therefore, this type of pier creates a direct load.

Types of Foundation Piering Systems

There are five basic designs and we will go through them one by one.

Offset Steel Pier-

As stated, a bracket is attached to the footer and it is an industry wide practice to cut out part of the footer to get the bracket closer to the wall to reduce the offset load. The pier is driven into the ground until it hits stable strata. It is not the course of wisdom to remove a portion of a home’s footer, nor to create an offset load. The tested and published safety load factor for this type of pier is 2 to 1.

Helical Foundation Anchor-

These are relatively new to the marketplace. They are also attached with a bracket to the footer. Helical piers typically must be driven into the ground at an angle, which creates stress on the threads. This can lead to failure of the pier to bear the load properly. Additionally, they are not driven deep enough to hit bedrock, or load bearing strata. And helical piers also create an offset load.

Concrete Piling-

They are 6” in diameter and 12” long. They are concentrically loaded, which is good, and they work well in sandy soils, but they are too large in diameter to go deep enough to be effective in clay soils.

Concrete Shoring Pad-

Fourth, an older technology that is still sometimes used is a concrete shoring pad. The idea is to dig under the footer to pour a bigger footing under the one you have. This has not been proven to permanently fix a settling foundation. The new footing can continue to settle right underneath of the old footing.

Stabil-Loc Pier-

Last but not least, the Stabil-Loc Pier is designed to be installed directly under the foundation wall. Its unique interlocking high strength steel construction can support up to 300,000 lbs. Hydraulic pressure is monitored while the pier is being driven into the ground. There are no bolts, no brackets, no removal of the footing, and no off-set loads. The Stabil-Loc pier carries an Engineer Certified safety factor of more than 10 to 1.

A Final Word

At Pioneer, we only sell and install products that we firmly believe in. For example, we choose not to use products that create an offset load. We also avoid piers that feature brackets or pieces that create weak spots and could potentially break. That is why we use the Stabil-Loc pier. It has been proven to be a permanent solution to stabilize settling foundations. We work closely with engineers and local building officials to ensure that we provide the best possible solution for your foundation. You can learn more about Stabil-Loc piers by clicking here.

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Foundation Piering Systems

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