Are helical piles better than concrete?
A concrete footing or pier has been the standard foundation for deck construction in and around Edmonton, Alberta. Concrete piers or footings give the deck a solid foundation, but because the area goes through extreme freeze-thaw cycles, concrete piles can have a problem.
Concrete Piles Fail at The Frost Line
The freeze-thaw cycles can cause concrete piles to crack, especially if they are not correctly mixed, poured, or placed. Concrete cracks, and when water freezes inside the crack, it expands and exerts pressure on the pile. This lifts the pile apart and allows water to flow into the cracks left by the ice melting, further weakening the concrete.
This can cause many problems for the structure that the concrete is meant to support. Decreased load-bearing capacity, loss of structural integrity, and an elevated danger of settlement or shifting can be brought on by cracking in concrete piles. For instance, broken concrete piles in a deck could cause the deck to become unstable or unsafe.
Fortunately, helical screw pilings offer a solution to this problem.
Screw Piles for Your Deck, a Better Option
In comparison to conventional concrete piles, helical screw piles for decks are resistant to cracking from extreme freeze-thaw cycles.
Helical screw piles are particularly successful in places with difficult soil conditions like Edmonton, as they are made to offer a secure foundation for a variety of structures, including decks.
As a result of their deep-ground installation, they are less prone to soil shifting and movement brought on by freeze-thaw cycles.
To find the optimum foundation solution for a specific project, consulting with the Edmonton Screw Pile Pros is a great place to start. As a knowledgeable contractor with engineering support the screw pile pros can assist you in the planning and installation of your screw pile foundation.
Benefits over Concrete
Helical screw piles have a number of benefits over conventional concrete piles in addition to their resilience to freeze-thaw cycles, such as no requirement for excavation, quicker installation, less environmental effect, and simpler removal or repositioning if necessary.
Not Prone To Frost Heaving
Helical screw piles can withstand the stresses brought on by freezing and thawing better because they are composed of tubular steel pipe and placed in the soil by screwing them into the ground. Because of their construction, screw piles don’t crack during freeze-thaw conditions. This means that water will not penetrate the pile’s material or be able to lift the pile apart like concrete can.
Helical Screw Piles Require No Excavation
The process of pouring concrete piles for a deck starts with drilling a deep hole in the soil. This hole is eventually where the concrete will be poured. Usually, concrete piles need to be a minimum of 12 inches in diameter and 10 to 12 feet deep. If a deck requires multiple holes for concrete piles to be poured, a significant amount of excess dirt has to be properly disposed of when drilling holes for a concrete pile foundation. Removing this fill creates a lot of extra time-consuming work, which increases the overall cost of the project.
Fortunately, if you choose to use helical ground screws, also known as screw piles, for your deck foundation, there is no fill to collect and haul away. Screw pilings have a helical blade that turns into the soil like the threads on a screw. When properly installed, this blade does not remove, displace, or disturb any of the soil and does not create any fill that has to be disposed of.
When the Edmonton Screw Pile Pros install helical screw piles, the applied installation torque is monitored and recorded. These torque numbers are provided to the structural engineer that designed the foundation. One of the benefits of helical piles vs. concrete footings is the ability to measure a pile’s capacity during installation. This makes it possible for the engineer to verify and sign off on a foundation’s load carrying capacity. This is how the Edmonton Screw Pile Pros can guarantee the longevity, stability, and safety of all the foundations that we install.
Fast Installation
When compared to traditional concrete foundations, helical pile foundations can be installed more quickly. Instead of pouring concrete or excavating and having to remove that fill for a standard foundation, the installation procedure entails employing specialised machinery to screw the piles into the ground.
The size of the project, the soil type, and site accessibility are just a few of the variables that can affect how quickly an installation goes. Yet, compared to other forms of foundations, screw pile foundations may typically be installed in a matter of hours or days as opposed to weeks or months.
Screw pile foundations are ideal for projects that need to be completed quickly and with little disruption to the surrounding area, such as decks, additions, or other smaller structures. Since the equipment needed for installation can be smaller and more portable than that used for standard foundations, they are also a popular option for locations that are isolated or challenging to access.
No Cure Time
Construction on a helical pile foundation can begin immediately after installation. This is because helical piles do not disturb the soil during installation and are structurally capable of supporting a load right out of fabrication.
However, in the case of concrete piles, it is necessary to wait for the concrete used to cure fully before starting construction. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, which can delay work and create challenges when scheduling tradespeople.
Far Simpler Removal Process
Removing a concrete piling can be a challenging and complex process, especially if the piling is deeply embedded in the ground or is part of a larger foundation system. To remove a concrete piling, the concrete has to be either broken up or cut and removed in pieces. Alternatively, very large equipment can be used to lift the concrete pile in one piece from the soil, though this practice rarely goes smoothly. Neither option is ideal, and typical concrete piles are left in the ground unless they can’t be avoided.
However, helical pile foundations are much easier to remove if needed. The same equipment that turns the helical piles into the ground can just as easily reverse and turn the screw piles out of the ground. Not only can screw piles be removed, but because the pile is not damaged during removal, they can also be replaced in a different location and reused. This offers many benefits for the redesigning of deck projects, forgivingness in project planning, or even allowing the use of temporary structures to use screw piles as a foundation.
Benefits over Concrete
The Edmonton Screw Pile Pros are experts in providing the installation of Alberta Building Code compliant screw pile foundations. If you decide to choose helical piles instead of concrete piles for your new deck project then contact the Screw Pile Pros in Edmonton to learn more about how we can help.
