Advantages of Using Steel Helical Piles

  • Can be installed year-round
  • Round shaft has a high resistance to bending
  • Galvanized steel resists corrosion for long life
  • Cannot be seen after installation
  • Can be installed in tight spaces
  • Minimizes the seismic activity and ultimate noise of pounding into the rock layer
  • Load is transferred through problematic soils to bedrock
  • Calculation of the load is simple. No need to use a complicated load-bearing calculation that may or may not be accurate. 100% of the load is seated in bedrock
  • The piles are easy to handle and are available in multiple lengths
  • Can be drilled through dense layers. The lateral displacement of the soil during driving is low
  • The drilling process ensures the pier is seated in the rock
  • Can be driven in hard soil conditions and to greater depth
  • Higher load capacity  
  • Faster and easier installation, and lower overall cost
  • Can be encased in concrete, if required
  • Greater design flexibility for the engineer. Many design options available
  • Less expensive than timber
  • Lifetime warranty

Limitations of Timber Piles

  • Salt-water corrosion limits life of piles
  • Pile Cap installation costs are greatly increased due to deep excavation requirements where sub-soil water level is very low
  • Low joint strength limits the depth of the timber piles
  • Lower load-bearing capacity
  • Timber piles must be cut off below the permanent ground water level to prevent decay. If the water table at a site is at a greater depth, extra cost of excavation needed to provide the pile cap may render the choice uneconomical
  • Increased safety concerns during installation in filled-in ground