What is the right way to stabilize my sinking foundation?
Many of our clients have a lot of confusion on what is the right way to stabilize their home to prevent further settling and damage to their foundation.
The truth of the matter is that there is not a one size fits all solution. However, there is a plethora of misinformation on how to stabilize foundations correctly.
Along with general misinformation is an abundance of professional AND Amateur systems to support foundations.
One common foundation repair solution is a push pier. Which is a cylindrical steel or concrete system that is ‘pushed’ down into the soil against the bottom of the foundation. Many professionals and amateurs Use a push pier system because it is a cheap and easy system to install.
A push pier certainly has applications where it is the most appropriate solution. However, there are many limitations and issues that are often overlooked just because it is a cheaper installation process.
A push pier’s depth is limited by the weight of the foundation. Often, a residential foundation does not weigh enough to push a pier all the way down to bedrock or unaffected soil. If this critical depth is not reached, your foundation is doomed to eventually settle once again.
Along with concrete pier systems that break or cable lock gimmicks that stretch, there are often too many failure mechanisms with push pier systems to provide you guaranteed peace of mind solution.
A helical pier is driven into the soil independently of your foundation with specialized equipment. It is essentially screwed into the soil similar to a screw or a bolt until it reaches a specified torque. This torque value is from an engineered calculation that is not reached until the helical pier is at a critical depth of unaffected soil or bedrock.
Once critical depth is reached, the foundation is attached to a helical pier with a heavy-duty bracket. This means your foundation has now transferred its weight to soils that have been stable for at least tens of thousands of years!
A helical pier provides one of the most reliable ways to be certain that your foundation will be stabilized for a lifetime!
Call DFX Foundation & Waterproofing Experts today for a free evaluation and be sure to ask about our warranty!
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