Concrete Pier Underpinning VS Push/Helical Pier Underpinning

Are you trying to decide between concrete pier underpinning or push pier underpinning? Not sure what product will last longer or offer more bang for your buck? If you’re having difficulty deciding between underpinning with concrete piers or push/helical piers, then this article is for you.

Dalinghaus has been in the foundation repair game since 2011 and have completed more than 2,000 foundation projects in that time, much of it foundation underpinning work. We’ve seen the stark night-and-day differences between underpinning with concrete piers and underpinning with steel pier systems. We want to help you make the best-educated decision for you and your family.

Is Concrete Pier Underpinning or Steel Pier System Underpinning More Durable & Effective?

In essence, piers are the backbone for all underpinning systems. Piers are generally comprised of cement and rebar or galvanized steel. Piers act as an underground stilt system, extending the depth of a foundation, providing additional structural support, and combating the effects of foundation settlement.

Underpinning systems (regardless of their makeup material) need to be able to do two things:

• Withstand/support an incredible amount of pressure from the structure’s load
• Withstand various weather conditions (from freeze cycles to wet earth) / age well

While concrete piers can withstand the load of a home, when appropriately spaced beneath the structure, they are not durable and have difficulty reaching load-bearing depth, rendering them ineffective.

Concrete piers, however, are relatively cheap due to the readily available composite material, cement and rebar. The low price point is an enticing selling point for these short, squat pillars of cement. When it comes to concrete piers, you get what you pay for.

Concrete is a porous material, like a sponge. Under the right conditions (heavy rains, a busted water pipe, or an overwatered yard), moisture can be sucked up into the porous concrete, rusting the internal rebar. The rust expands, breaking off chunks of the concrete pier and leaving the concrete pier as a useless form of support.

However, for the sake of argument, let’s say that the concrete piers never crack or succumb to water damage. Concrete repair companies often install to what they refer to as “refusal”, meaning the soils are refusing to sink the concrete pier further. Refusal is solely dependent on the strength of the hydraulic system and is not necessarily indicative the concrete piers have reached competent, load-bearing soil.

Eventually, these concrete piers sink and settle into the weak soil, failing to permanently combat the foundation settlement. It’s like throwing an anchor around an already sinking ship, counterproductive.

Note, This is essentially the same issue with slabjacking, mudjacking, and concrete underpinning. Read our article Outdated Methods of Underpinning: Mudjacking & Concrete Piles to learn more.

• Cheap

• Susceptible to water damage (spalling and rusted rebar)

• Inability to reach competent, load-bearing soil

• No opportunity to lift home to maximum practical recovery

Steel pier systems (push piers and helical piers) can both support the load of a home and withstand various weathering conditions.

Steel pier systems are comprised of inter-fitting steel pipes that are hydraulically driven to competent, load-bearing soil and are anchored to the foundation’s prepped footing via a remedial bracket to secure, stabilize, and/or lift the structure.

Push pier and helical pier underpinning systems are strong. When utilized every six feet, steel pier systems carry the load of a typical home. Push pier capacity is read off the hydraulic gauge as each pier is driven, so it is measured on the job rather than published as one figure. For the helical piers we install, installation torque is measured pier by pier, and that reading is how each pier’s capacity is verified.

Push piers and helical piers are galvanized or powder coated to impede rust and oxidization. In addition , steel pier systems also reach an average of 25 to 30 feet , hitting competent load-bearing soil or bedrock.

• Push pier and helical pier systems are galvanized/waterproof

• Steel pier systems have incredible load-bearing capacities

• Steel pier systems reach the appropriate depth for load-bearing soil/bedrock

• Steel pier systems allow for lifting to maximum practical recovery

• Steel pier systems cost more than concrete piers

Dalinghaus Foundation Repair has serviced hundreds of foundations in Southern California and Arizona. We understand foundation repair, especially underpinning, can prove a costly expense. You may be tempted to go the cheaper route (aka, cement piers), but cheaper is not always better.

Schedule a Free Evaluation

Foundation movement is easier to judge in person than from a photo. Schedule a free evaluation and a Dalinghaus specialist will walk the property with you and explain what the evidence shows.