How to install screw piles by yourself

Construction has always been and remains a matter of responsibility. The quality of work depends on the durability of the structure. The foundation is considered an important part of any building. In modern construction often use screw piles. This technology helps to significantly reduce financial costs and time of construction.

Screw piles screwed into the ground, using special equipment, but few people know that it is possible to do it yourself. The article describes in detail how to install the piles manually. But before we consider the process of installation, let's learn more about this modern technology.

Application

Screw piles are used as supports in difficult ground: uneven terrain, swampy or frozen soil. Initially, technology came from military craft,where you need to quickly build and disassemble objects for special purposes. Now this method is actively used in civil engineering.

Used for the construction of the following structures:

• frame and modular buildings, low-rise buildings;
• lightweight buildings, fences, advertising boards;
• support of high-voltage lines and pipelines;
• bridges, moorings.

Installation is carried out by a hydraulic mechanism or manually. Piles are screwed into the ground like a self-tapping screw. If the soil is heavily frozen, the leader well becomes. Their calculated bearing capacity depends on the correct installation of the supports.

Advantages and disadvantages of the screw base

• erected faster than a concrete foundation;
• used in swampy, unstable and icy soils;
• ready for full load after screwing;
• can be installed at any time of the year;
• no need to level the landscape;
• cost less than a concrete foundation.

disadvantages

• limited service life;
• cannot be applied on stony ground;
• It is difficult to make a good anti-corrosion protection.

How to install screw piles with your own hands

It is hard work, so they use small diameter piles because they are easier to screw in. Manual screwing of the supports is done in order to save money or when it cannot be done by machine. Manual method allows you to build small buildings, such as a bath, gazebo or fence. The job will require simple fixtures and a few helpers.

Possible obstacles
Manual installation is complicated if there is a lot of rubbish or stones in the ground. Make sure that it does not contain large items: gravel, iron, bricks, etc. Small fragments do not interfere, but large stones will lead to a deflection of the axis of the support or bend the blades.

Sometimes in the soil there are concrete blocks or slabs, which can not be removed without a serious digging of the site. This problem can stop the entire installation process or make significant adjustments to the layout of the foundation.

Try to find a platform where there are no thickets within a radius of 20 m. The root system, especially large trees, is well developed. Even a rotten stump, located nearby, will significantly complicate the screwing in of piles.

For manual screwing piles need to use long levers.If a building, a fence or a pillar is next to the planned building, they will prevent the installation of supports.

Preparatory work

1. Installation of screw supports begins with the search and inspection of the construction site. Carefully investigate the ground. From his condition depends on the choice of piles of a certain diameter. It is difficult to screw in support of the big size into too dry or clay soil.
2. Having chosen suitable piles, count how many pieces you need for work. From their number depends on what will be the distance between them during installation.
3. To screw the piles properly served for many decades, perform anti-corrosion treatment. Apply several layers of protective coating.

There are several processing options:

• metal primer - standard coating;
• bitumen mastic - protects the surface of the pile from contact with moisture;
• cold galvanizing - zinc, interacting with the metal surface of the pile, creates a weak electric current, which prevents the appearance of corrosion;
• cold galvanizing and bituminous mastic - combined treatment;
• cold galvanizing, bitumen mastic and polymer film - the first two layers of protection are covered with shrink film,This provides maximum protection.

Screw Piling Tools

• Spade - to align the places of screwing.
• Magnetic level - will help control the position of the pile.
• The drill - has to be in diameter less than screw piles.
• Roulette - necessary to perform measurements.
• Hydro level - used for placing horizontal marks.
• Scrap and two pipes with a length of 2 m - they will make levers.
• Hammer - need for hammering a peg.
• Bulgarian - for cutting piles.
• Thin rope - for marking the foundation.
• Knife, gloves, pencil.

Foundation marking
Needs accuracy and accuracy in the calculations. To work you will need a rope and pegs. If the foundation has a rectangular shape, first determine the points of the corner supports. Hammer the pegs and connect them with a rope. Try to make the shape of a rectangle flat. On each side, determine equidistant points for the remaining piles. Once all the tags are placed, you can proceed to the installation of supports.

Screw Pile Mounting Technique
It is necessary to establish support first on corners. To do this, drill guide holes.The depth must be equal to 1/3 of the pile length, and the size is less than the diameter of the pile. Starting the installation process, try to control the flatness of the vertical position of the support. You will help the magnetic level.

The piles are screwed in with the help of levers, in our case it is just scrap. When the twisting becomes tight the levers are lengthened by additional pipes. This process should be carried out evenly and on command in order not to displace the support.

If the pile ceases to turn, it means that you have reached a layer of soil, the density of which is sufficient to maintain the weight of the structure. In this case, it is not necessary to continue screwing. After the corner piles are installed connect them with a rope from the bottom and top. This will help to expose the rest of the supports exactly - vertically and in height.

When the foundation is ready around the perimeter, place the marks inside. For this, the columns of the parallel sides are connected with a rope. At the crossing points it is necessary to drill holes for the installation of piles for the inner foundation.

How to align screw piles

Manual method does not allow installation to take place smoothly. Even if you screw in smoothly and slowly, the support will gradually go away to the side.Therefore, periodically it is necessary to check the degree of deviation by the magnetic level. If the displacement is significant, then move the pile to an even state and make a few turns.

The displacement is affected by stones stored in the soil. In this case, it is difficult to align the supports. There are two ways to solve it: first, roll the pile deeper than the stone and loosen it so that it can be put exactly and make several turns. Second, pull out the support, with the help of a drill go through a difficult part of the ground, and then continue the installation.

Pruning
Not all piles can be screwed to the desired level. Therefore, they shorten the grinder, aligning height. It is recommended to cut below the lever insert hole. It is convenient to draw labels using a hydraulic level - a long, thin hose filled with water and operating according to the principle of communicating vessels.

Concreting

After trimming, screw piles are poured with a mixture of concrete and sand. The solution should not be too thick or liquid. This procedure makes the supports stronger and more resistant to stress. Some builders add reinforcement to the pipe to add extra rigidity.

Concrete protects the inner surface from the ingress of oxygen and moisture and prolongs the life of the foundation.If the installation of piles takes place in the cold season, winter additives are added to the solution. They will make concrete resistant to low temperatures.

When the solution is dry, the pipe is sealed with tips for subsequent strapping. Welding seams are treated with anti-corrosion agent.

Screw piles are a practical technology for the construction of any structures. Inexpensive cost and fast installation speed, made this type of foundation popular. Screw pile technology is now available for everyone. It can be applied independently or use the services of construction companies.

Video: do-it-yourself screw pile driving