Thank you for getting in touch!
We will review your message and be in contact within 2 business days
Helical Foundation for Commercial Refrigeration Unit
When a well-loved local market decided to build additional cooler space outside their building, poor soil conditions threatened the whole project. See how we installed a seriously strong helical foundation solution and saved them weeks of time.
Introduction
Vince's Gourmet Imports, a grocery store and deli in Syracuse, specializes in bringing the tastes and ingredients of Italy to the community. To continue serving their customers with delicious foods and products, they planned to add another refrigeration unit to their building.
Since they needed to mount it on the outside second floor, they planned to construct a platform that would hold it and allow them to use the area underneath as exterior storage.
However, when weak soils and site conditions threatened to cause construction headaches, their contractor sought a foundation solution to keep the project on-track and on-time.
The Challenge
When the contractor assessed the building site and soil conditions, they discovered a big challenge. Soil conditions were wet, marshy, loose, and muddy. Due to the area's sloped land, standing water and soil erosion were also serious concerns.
Additionally, the platform's location required the foundation to be installed within inches of the existing building, raising concerns about potential damage to the building's foundation.
These poor soil conditions meant that the usual foundation solution, digging a hole and pouring concrete, threatened an uphill battle. They would face collapsing soils, de-watering, and a potentially longer curing period, all of which would add to the cost and time required to install the foundation.
Seeking an alternative, the contractor contacted our team at CDP Excavating and asked for a helical pile foundation solution that could save his project from hassles, headaches, and delays.
Our Solution
After reviewing the soil conditions and structure, we quickly realized this tricky situation demanded a careful approach.
The refrigeration unit and platform were very heavy, with per-pile loads clocking in at 15 kips (15,000 lbs). Considering a required safety factor of 2.0, each pile actually had to support 30 kips (30,000 lbs) to meet the engineer's requirements.
Given the poor soil conditions on site, we decided to use 3-1/2" OD by 7 ft long helical piles with two helix plates - 10" and 12" in diameter, respectively.
To ensure we reached firm soil layers, we also ordered 7 ft extensions in case we needed to install the piles even deeper. We made sure to source helical piles with a galvanized coating to enhance their resistance to corrosion in the wet soil conditions.
The Installation
With plans drawn up and materials in hand, our team arrived early one morning to begin the installation process.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long to hit a snag.
During the installation of the first helical pile, we quickly realized the soil conditions were worse than anticipated. We determined the helical piles needed to be installed deeper than originally planned to meet the required load capacities.
Thankfully, we had ordered pile extensions to protect against this exact possibility. Using these 7 ft extensions, we installed the piles to an average depth of 24 ft, allowing us to quickly overcome the weak soils and bring the foundation to bear in dense strata.
Over the course of 1-1/2 days, we installed 8 helical piles in the challenging conditions, successfully meeting the 30 kip load requirement for each one.
Results
Even with the surprise of having to install the piles deeper than first thought, our helical solution was dramatically faster than poured concrete. We estimated a comparable concrete foundation would have taken several weeks to dig, pour, and cure in the poor soils we faced.
By extending the pile depth into sturdy soil, we achieved the 30 kip load capacity with no problems. Plus, since helical piles create minimal disturbance during installation, there was zero disruption to the existing building.
The contractor was thrilled to have the foundation ready in under 2 days and was impressed the installation left no mess on the site. Instead of waiting weeks for concrete, he was able to start building immediately.
In the end, our team delivered a win-win solution that slashed timelines and delivered outstanding value for everyone. If you’d like to learn more about helical pile foundations, have questions about this project, or would like a quote, contact us today.
Want results like this on your project?
Don't just read about successful foundation projects - experience it for yourself! Get in touch with our team and describe your project to get a quote started. Or, ask us your questions about helical pile foundations. We're ready to help.
Contact Info
(315) 430-0048moc.gnitavacxepdc%40olleh
Hours
Monday - Friday 9 AM - 5 PM