local Soils Engineers seem comfortable with them.
Good Luck,
Chuck Utzman, P.E.
Jim Wilson wrote:
> Gordon, Harold- Thanks for the advice! AB Chance is 2 hours away and
> may not travel this far, which could limit my options. But I will
> check and cross my fingers from there! Good comments about taking a
> critical look through the warranty. Its pretty vague other than
> excluding possible damage to utilties, drywall cracking if lifted,
> etc. Nothing tthat sounds like a trap.
>
> I am suspicious about how many piers they say they need. Certainly
> more than is necessary but that can be corrected.
>
> Jim
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Gordon Goodell <GordonGoodell@harmonydesigninc.com>
> *To:* seaint@seaint.org
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 30, 2009 11:34:37 AM
> *Subject:* RE: Push piers foundation systems
>
> Jim,
>
>
>
> PDCA, the Pile Driving Contractor's Association, likes to say that
> driven piles are tested piles. This is true. You stop driving when a
> proof load, your load times some safety factor, is reached. The
> geotech is useful if you want to know in advance how far you'll have
> to drive them.
>
>
>
> Another option you might want to check is helical piers, which attain
> higher bearing much faster (shallower) than piles. They can be driven
> (by a certified contractor) with the pto for a backhoe or even a
> Bobcat. The one I've used (with excellent results) is AB Chance.
> Find a local distributor on their website: www.abchance.com
> <http://www.abchance.com/>
>
>
>
>
>
> regards,
>
> Gordon Goodell
>
>
>
> *From:* Jim Wilson [mailto:wilsonengineers@yahoo.com]
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 30, 2009 6:53 AM
> *To:* seaint@seaint.org
> *Subject:* Push piers foundation systems
>
>
>
> Is anyone familiar with the Push Pier System provided by Foundation
> Supportworks, or similar products for that matter? I have settlement
> under a portion of my garage that needs to be addressed. This is a
> simple end-bearing pipe pier hydrolically pushed down to bearing.
>
>
>
> The system does carry a 25-year warranty and looks to be well
> designed. I don't know if there are any particular risks or gotchas
> with installing these systems. They say they usually hit bearing in
> 20-30 feet but I realize that is a big unknown. There isn't much
> online to read about these that isn't promotional. I did find one
> link to a discussion where they warned about the thickness and grade
> of the steel.
>
>
>
> The contractor does not suggest that I hire a geotech to do a study -
> am I adding a lot of risk by not doing so? It is only a light
> single-story structure.
>
>
>
> They do not suggest the helical pier, either. Soils are sandy
> gravel. They are not expansive. The upper layer under the foundation
> may have been fill but I don't know for sure. Settlement is
> arguably active - notable additional recent movement has been
> attributed to vibration from paving our driveway last year. Garage
> is 20 years old and has dropped maybe 2" overall.
>
>
>
> Jim Wilson, PE
>
> Stroudsburg, PA
>
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