While most people understand that Helical Piles & Piers can be used to fix foundations, what the North Carolina market is starting to understand is the wide array of applications in new construction. In this blog post by GoliathTechNC, the North Carolina leader in Helical piles and piers, we will review some of the creative use cases for our products.
Boardwalks
GoliathTechNC has installed our helical piles and piers to support dozens of boardwalks and walkways across wetlands, swamp and ponds. Generally speaking the loads of these applications varied from a few KIPs to 20+ KIPs. We install the helical piles as deep as needed to reach the required torque, then attach a saddle bracket head to support the post (usually either a 6×6 post or a 4×4 post).
Marine Applications
Similar to the board walk, GoliathTechNC has installed our market leading helical piles for docks, bulk heads and walkways. At times, we have had to install from a barge while other times we have had to have our excavator lowered down via crane to install in river bed. Our Helical Piles are deep galvanized and come with a 30 year warranty so no worries about corrosion issues.
Lights, Signs, Bollards, Benches and other Post applications
Whether it is roadway signage or lighting, park benches or bollards; our piles and proprietary heads can be used to support these applications. GoliathTech can custom design and manufacture an attachment head to meet the job requirements. Traditional cast-in-place or precast concrete foundations require excavation, spoils removal and backfill—and a lot of concrete and manpower, which eat up your precious time and money. Our helical piles can be screwed through the soil in a matter of minutes using a hydraulic motor mounted to own construction equipment. It’s that simple. Forget about excavation and concrete cure time. Once the piles are in place, you’re ready to install your lighting or signage poles because the piles can be loaded immediately.
Solar Farms
That is right. One of the most popular applications it to support ground mount solar racks. We work with a variety of manufacturers including Schletter, Ironridge and Snapnrack. This is a huge benefit for solar companies, who are preaching “alternative” and “green” energy sources. Well why would you put chemicals into the soil by using concrete footers? Our helical piles are a logical alternative and in most cases actually save the solar company money!
