Construction has always been and remains a responsible business. The durability of the structure depends on the quality of work. The foundation is considered an important part of any building. In modern construction, screw piles are often used. This technology helps to significantly reduce financial costs and construction time.
Screw piles are screwed into the ground using special equipment, but few people know that this can be done with their own hands. The article describes in detail how to install piles manually. But before considering the installation process, let's learn more about this modern technology.
Application
Screw piles are used as supports in difficult soil: uneven terrain, swampy or frozen soils. Initially, the technology came from military craft, where it was necessary to quickly build and dismantle special-purpose objects. Now this method is actively used in civil engineering.
Used for the construction of the following structures:
- frame and modular buildings, low-rise buildings;
- light structures, fences, advertising boards;
- supports for high-voltage lines and pipelines;
- bridges, piers.
Installation is carried out hydraulically or manually. The piles are screwed into the ground like a self-tapping screw. If the soil is very frozen, a leader well is made. Their calculated load-bearing capacity depends on the correct installation of supports.
Advantages and disadvantages of a screw foundation
- are 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;
- are cheaper than concrete foundations.
Flaws
- limited service life;
- cannot be used on rocky ground;
- It is difficult to make good anti-corrosion protection.
This is hard work, so small diameter piles are used because they are easier to screw in. Screwing in the supports manually occurs in order to save money or when it cannot be done by machine. The manual method allows you to build small buildings, for example, a bathhouse, a gazebo or a fence. To work, you will need simple tools and several assistants.
Possible obstacles
Manual installation becomes more difficult if there is a lot of debris or stones in the ground. Make sure that it does not contain large objects: crushed stone, iron, bricks, etc. Small fragments will not cause any harm, but large stones will cause the support axis to deviate or the blades will be bent.
Sometimes there are concrete blocks or slabs in the ground, which cannot be removed without seriously digging up the area. This problem can stop the entire installation process or make significant adjustments to the foundation layout.
Try to find an area where there are no thickets within a radius of 20 m. The root system, especially of large trees, is well developed. Even a rotten stump located nearby will significantly complicate the screwing of piles.
To manually screw in the pile, it is necessary to use long levers. If there is a building, fence or pole next to the planned construction, they will interfere with the installation of supports.
Preparatory work
- Installation of screw supports begins with searching and inspecting the construction site. Examine the soil carefully. The choice of piles of a certain diameter depends on its condition. It is difficult to screw in large supports in soil that is too dry or clayey.
- Having chosen suitable piles, calculate how many pieces you will need for the work. The distance between them during installation depends on their number.
- To ensure that screw piles serve properly for many decades, anti-corrosion treatment is performed. Apply several layers of protective coating.
There are several processing options:
- primer for metal – 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 that prevents corrosion;
- cold galvanizing and bitumen mastic - combined processing;
- cold galvanizing, bitumen mastic and polymer film - the first two layers of protection are covered with shrink film, this provides maximum protection.
Tools for installing screw piles
- Shovel - for leveling screwing points.
- Magnetic level - will help control the position of the pile.
- Drill – should be smaller in diameter than screw piles.
- Tape measure – necessary for taking measurements.
- Hydraulic level – used to set horizontal marks.
- A crowbar and two pipes 2 m long - these will make levers.
- Hammer – will be needed to hammer in the peg.
- Grinder – for cutting piles.
- Thin rope - for marking the foundation.
- Knife, gloves, pencil.
Foundation marking
Accuracy and accuracy in calculations are required. To work you will need rope and pegs. If the foundation is rectangular, first determine the corner support points. Hammer the pegs and connect them with rope. Try to make the rectangle shape even. On each side, determine equidistant points for the remaining piles. Once all the marks have been placed, you can begin installing the supports.
Screw pile installation technique
The supports must be installed in the corners first. To do this, drill guide holes. The depth should be equal to 1/3 of the length of the pile, and the size should be less than the diameter of the pile. Once you begin the installation process, try to control the evenness of the vertical position of the support. A magnetic level will help you.
The piles are screwed in using levers, in our case this is an ordinary crowbar. When the twisting becomes tight, the arms are extended with additional pipes. This process must take place evenly and on command so as not to displace the support.
If the pile stops turning, this means that you have reached a layer of soil whose density is sufficient to support the weight of the structure. In this case, you should not continue screwing. After the corner piles are installed, connect them with rope at the bottom and top. This will help align the remaining supports evenly – vertically and heightwise.
When the foundation is ready around the perimeter, place marks inside. To do this, columns of parallel sides are connected with a rope. At the crossing points, it is necessary to drill holes for the installation of internal foundation piles.
The manual method does not allow for smooth installation. Even if you screw in smoothly and slowly, the support will gradually move to the side. Therefore, it is periodically necessary to check the degree of deviation with a magnetic level. If the displacement is significant, then move the pile until it is level and make several turns.
The displacement is affected by stones stored in the ground. In this case, it is difficult to align the supports. There are two solutions: first, rotate the pile deeper than the stone and loosen it so that it can be placed evenly and make several turns. Second, pull out the support, use a drill to go through a difficult section of soil, and then continue installation.
Trimming
Not all piles can be screwed in to the required level. Therefore, they are shortened with a grinder, leveling them in height. It is recommended to trim below the arm insert hole. It is convenient to draw marks using a hydraulic level - a long, thin hose filled with water and working on the principle of communicating vessels.
Concreting
After trimming, the screw piles are filled 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 provide additional rigidity.
Concrete protects the inner surface from oxygen and moisture and extends 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 dries, the pipe is sealed with caps for subsequent piping. Welding seams are treated with an anti-corrosion agent.
Screw piles are a practical technology for the construction of any structures. Inexpensive cost and fast installation speed have made this type of foundation in demand. Screw pile technology is now available to everyone. You can apply it yourself or use the services of construction companies.
Video: tightening screw piles with your own hands
A gate is required to screw in the piles. The manufacturer recommends buying a solid alloy rod with a diameter of 50-60 mm and a length of about a meter (scrap from a hardware store will not work!). Surely some parts from cars will find use - axles or shafts. Steel pipes will be placed on this insert to organize the gate.
Gate materials
There was no insert purchase involved here. In one of the households, the previous owners left a lot of scrap metal in the form of racks and inserts from prefabricated metal scaffolding of Soviet production and a lot of scraps of water pipes of various diameters, 2-5 meters long. By arranging pipes, a lever of up to 6 meters was obtained in one arm. Do not consider wooden posts as levers - wood springs and bends, this is very dangerous. When purchasing piles, do not be lazy and check the holes for the gates; the hole diameter of 60 mm was present in only 30% of the piles, in other cases it was slightly smaller (these holes seem to be made with plasma cutting and unqualified personnel). The consumption of metal for inserts and gates began when working on sand, where work was done in a different way. See photo of bent inserts.
Unnecessary details are removed
Gate from a piece of pipe
This fold has been broken
Composite gate
Pipe fragments
How to drive screw piles into clay
Work began on an area with clay soil and a supply of pipes for the gate. According to the markings, a recess 40-50 cm deep was dug at the location where the pile was installed. The pile was installed at the designated point. One person holds the pile vertically, controlling the position using two magnetic levels, and in the horizontal plane using marking threads. The second person installs the insert into the pile and puts on the collar. At the initial stage of twisting, a large lever is not needed. On a clayey area in the quicksand zone, 3.5 m piles were installed. To facilitate the installation of such piles, a lever of greater length and at an angle was installed. Watch the video. To enter dry clay, in addition to rotation, it was also necessary to press the lever to enter the pile into the ground.
As you go deeper, the resistance to rotation increases and a second person joins the work. With increasing rotational resistance, the gate arms are extended with pipes. Stones entering the rotation zone are accompanied by a characteristic sound.
To penetrate a zone of stones, sometimes it is necessary to rotate jerkily, turn it half a turn, and then twist it. Particular attention should be paid to monitoring the position of the pile during the tightening process.
Marking and pit
Pile installations
Beginning of work
Stone from a depth of 1 meter
Due to the single-thread screw, the pile rotates around the center of resistance and can smoothly move in one direction or another, while also deviating from the vertical line. Alignment of rotation was also carried out by transferring rotational forces to one or the other lever. At the initial stage, while maintaining mobility, you can also forcefully tilt the pile into the care zone and make 1/4 or 1/2 rotation and restore the position of the pile for control. This experience appears already when driving the first pile. Piles must be driven to the recommended depth, in this area 1.6 meters. In general, on clay soil, all piles were installed according to the requirements and even deeper. The previously mentioned layer of stones was passed without difficulty, except for one pile. Look at the photo for a boulder dug out from a depth of 1 meter. The rotation of all piles stopped when the required head height was reached. In three cases, the piles encountered an unknown obstacle at a depth of 1.8 meters and all efforts led to the destruction of the inserts and crushing of the metal of the pile. Heavy rains filled the pits with water; on the one hand, the water acted as a lubricant when twisting, and on the other hand, it irritated the magnetic levels that regularly fell into the depths of the slurry. See how to avoid this trouble.
On the first day of work, only one pile was installed. On the second day, two piles. Then three or four piles were installed per day, with a time expenditure of no more than 40 minutes per pile.
An example of pile installation is shown in the video without cuts (11 minutes). The video shows all the features of installation and the behavior of the pile during the screwing process. If you are going to install the piles yourself, be sure to watch the video!
Reading time ≈ 3 minutes
The most important element of any construction is a solid foundation. The screw foundation has proven itself to have excellent reliability and comparative simplicity of the installation process.
This article will cover in detail the question of how to install screw piles with your own hands, with visual examples in photos and video materials.
Advantages of a screw foundation
The foundation for the house, obtained by tightening screw piles, is reliable and durable. The pile is made of a steel pipe with a pointed end and welded blades. This is a fairly wear-resistant and durable material with a special anti-corrosion coating that prevents rust.
The main advantages of the foundation are:
- There is no need to carry out labor-intensive earthworks with digging deep pits and trenches;
- Installation of screw piles can be carried out on any surface with rather uneven terrain;
- Laying the foundation is possible at any time of the year;
- Fast and simple process.
When screwing screw piles, significant compaction of the soil occurs, which ensures high bearing capacity of the foundation.
Installation technology
Construction begins as usual with preparatory work. A site for the structure is selected, the number of piles, the distance between them are calculated, and the places of their installation are marked with the help of pegs.
Before you proceed to installing screw piles with your own hands, you need to study the nature of the soil for the absence of large stones and rhizomes from nearby trees. It is advisable to use the services of hydrogeological services, which will determine the availability of groundwater and the depth of soil freezing.
Pipes must be installed deeper than the freezing level and have a length of at least two meters. The longer it is in size and the larger its diameter, the stronger the foundation will be. The diameter of the welded blades also matters. Moisture-saturated soil requires larger blade sizes than dry soil.
To select the correct length and diameter of the pipe, the weight of the structure and the magnitude of the load are first calculated.
After preparation comes the main stage of work. For convenience, holes are made in the upper part of the pipe into which rods are inserted, with the help of which screwing will be carried out. For the same purpose, you can use a special tool in the form of a manual screw-in wrench.
The technology for installing screw piles involves the use of significant physical force, so it is advisable to involve assistants in the process. To make the insertion of the pipe a little easier, it is better to dig shallow holes at the installation site with a diameter slightly larger than the size of the blades.
When driving screw piles, it is necessary to constantly monitor the strict verticality of the pipe. This is done using a level.
After entering to the required depth, all installed piles are aligned to one plane parallel to the ground. Excess protrusions are cut off with a grinder. Then, to increase the reliability of the foundation, concrete is poured into the pipe.
Metal caps are welded on top of the pipe to secure wooden beams that connect all the piles into one strong structure. The foundation is ready and further construction can begin.
The article gives all the important tips on the topic of how to properly tighten screw piles on your own. The main thing is to choose their correct sizes, as well as maintaining strict verticality during installation. The bearing capacity and reliability of the foundation will depend on this.
An important point is the condition of the soil. High hard rock content requires more participants in the process and certain knowledge on how to facilitate the installation of screw piles.
Video of installation of screw piles with your own hands
Quite a complex process. It requires special knowledge and sometimes special equipment. Many amateurs in the field of construction believe that it is almost impossible to cope with such work on their own. However, this is not quite true.
Before starting the process, you need to familiarize yourself with the technology. It involves overcoming several stages. At the first stage, the foundation is calculated, then the field is marked. The third step will be the installation of piles, and the final step will be cutting the pillars to one level.
Preparation before installation
If you are faced with the question of how to tighten a screw pile yourself, then first you must prepare for the work. To do this, foreign objects and debris are removed from the construction site. If you plan installation in winter, then there is no need to get rid of snow. This is due to the fact that the piles should be driven into soft rather than deeply frozen soil. Snow is usually removed on the day of installation.
If you plan to use a special installation for driving piles, then it is important to worry about the availability of an entrance. For a concrete mixer, you must ensure that there is an outlet. You will also need process water.
About the depth of screw piles
Before starting work, it is necessary to determine the depth of the pile, taking into account the following factors:
- soil composition;
- calculated parameters of soil resistance;
- soil freezing depth;
- load-bearing capacity requirements.
Screw pile foundations are usually used for lightweight structures. Therefore, when determining the laying depth, the key point is the freezing point.
The minimum immersion depth of the support corresponds to the soil freezing line. The corresponding indicator can be taken from SNiP 01/23/99. Before driving screw piles in the southern region, for example in Voronezh or Belgorod, you must emphasize to yourself that in these areas the freezing depth is 1000 mm. But in the northern regions this parameter exceeds 2400 mm.
Possible obstacles
Before driving screw piles by hand, you should inspect the area. Sometimes conditions are created that prevent work from being carried out. This happens when there are trees nearby or there is buried construction debris or inclusions of stones in the ground. The process may be slowed down if there are poles or a fence near the support point.
It is impossible to install piles if there is a building nearby. Buildings must be removed by 30 cm or more. If the supports are supposed to be screwed in near an unuprooted stump or large trees, then the roots will diverge underground, this should be taken into account. During the installation of products, it may become clear that there are stones in the depths. If their diameter is up to 5 cm, then they will not have any effect. Large stones that get in the way of the pile will make screwing in impossible.
If the diameter of the elements increases to 10 cm, then they can interfere with twisting and cause displacement of the tip, which will cause the axis to deviate from the vertical. If you are wondering how to properly tighten screw piles, you should know that sometimes the products have to be pulled back out. In this case, the installation site should be excavated with a shovel, and then the stones should be removed from the soil. Then you can continue installation.
The excavated soil is poured back into the hole and compacted around the post. If there are concrete slabs or blocks, large obstacles or construction debris in the soil, then installing a screw pile will not be possible. When a large stone is in the path of the structure at a line below the freezing point of the soil, the support can be left as is. The stone located below will carry the load and distribute it throughout the soil.
A mandatory step when installing piles is applying an anti-corrosion coating
Among private builders, the question has recently arisen about how to manually tighten screw piles. This process is divided into several stages. One of them is the application of an anti-corrosion coating. In order for the foundation to serve as long as possible, the part of the structure that will be located at the border of air and earth should be protected from corrosion.
Such protection is necessary, which does not depend on soil conditions. You should not be afraid that the front coverings and the tip of the pile will wear off when screwing in. These parts of the product will be located in the ground at an impressive depth, where corrosion is difficult. When constructing simple and unimportant structures such as canopies and gazebos, you can use cold galvanizing or bitumen mastic.
If you have to work with slightly abrasive soil, you can use a double-action combined coating. This applies to the case when there is peat or wet plastic clay on the territory. The protection will consist of a layer and bitumen mastic, which is applied on top. This coating protects the foundation for many years.
If you are faced with the question of how to tighten screw piles with your own hands, then it is important to carry out geological research. If there is abrasive soil in an area with inclusions of sand and crushed stone, as well as small stones, it is necessary to apply a layer of heat-shrinkable film over the anti-corrosion coating. It will fit the pile and give the product high strength. Such an anti-corrosion coating will protect the support from abrasion.
Screwing in piles
Screw piles are installed without drilling devices. On their lower part there are screw blades, which allow installation into the soil. The disadvantage of this method is that twisting may involve inaccurate installation, which distinguishes this technology from the one when products are buried or filled with concrete.
Installation of piles manually is carried out in cases where the mechanized method cannot be used, or mechanized installation for piles is not economically feasible. If installation is carried out in a place where there is no access for equipment, then the manual method is the only correct one. It is used in the construction of foundations for small buildings that are located on plots outside the city. It can be:
- gazebos;
- baths;
- wooden houses;
- fences
When to use the manual method
Usually, the manual method of installing piles is used when constructing fences at the border of two areas. There are also cases when it is necessary to install a support near the cottage, which is much cheaper than using additional equipment. Before driving screw piles, you should enlist the help of several people.
Work methodology
The product must be mounted in a vertical position at a pre-marked point. A steel rod or crowbar is inserted into the technological hole in the support. After this, the resulting lever can be extended using a pipe. Its length should be 2500 mm or more.
If you are faced with the task of how to tighten screw piles, then you should know that one person in the process will guide the trunk so that it is immersed in a strictly vertical position. Two other people, grasping the lever, will move around the barrel, screwing the structure. The immersion speed of the support is approximately 192 mm per revolution. If conditions are favorable, then from 5 to 15 minutes will be spent on one pile. The rate of descent will depend on the type of soil.
What to do if an obstacle occurs
If the screwed-in blades have reached dense soil, and several people are not able to turn the pile, then there is no point in trying to bury the support deeper. This indicates that the product has reached the ground, which has a high bearing capacity. On such soil the foundation will be very reliable. During the process, you will have a question about how deep to screw the screw piles. Experts emphasize that it is necessary to deepen the support below the soil freezing line in your region. For more accurate installation, holes are pre-made. After this it will be easier to fit the pile.
Finally
If you are going to build a house, you must know how to tighten screw piles. They are suitable for light buildings, as well as for fences, gazebos and bathhouses. One of the key points is the freezing depth, which in the case of sandstone is higher than that of clay soils. But if you have to work with peat, then the depth of immersion should be such that the support reaches solid soil.
Building a foundation yourself is an act that commands respect. But many refuse this idea, believing that without special education, heavy construction equipment and a lot of free time, this is impossible. For many, this task seems impossible without the involvement of a team of experienced builders. But few people know that the use of screw piles can significantly reduce the cost of construction, and the process of constructing a pile foundation with your own hands will take only 1-2 days.
But, be that as it may, you can’t do without special tools. For work we will need:
- Screw piles suitable for your structure and future foundation plan. (If you were unable to select the piles yourself, our specialists are always ready to give a detailed and free consultation by phone or in the company’s office) However, let’s assume that you already have the piles.
- Heads 250*250mm ( if provided for by the project)
- Pegs for marking a pile field
- Shovel
- Roulette
- White metal marker
- Magnetic level
- Water level or level
- Scrap metal
- Two levers. ( Pipes 2-3 meters long, mounted on scrap metal)
- Grinder with cutting discs for metal
- Welding machine
- Generator (if there is no electricity on site)
- Cement, sand, water
- Container for mixing concrete mortar
- Anti-corrosion coating for weld processing
- As well as assistants, numbering three people.
Stages of installation of screw piles:
Before you start driving screw piles, you should mark the pile field. The structures must be installed at a certain distance from each other (no more than 3 m). If this rule is not followed, the foundation will not gain the required load-bearing capacity and sagging of the strapping beam may occur in the future.
2. Setting the perimeter.
Then follows the setting of the perimeter. First of all, you should measure the diagonals and install pegs in the four corners around the perimeter of the house. The formula for calculating the diagonal is shown in the figure.
3. Driving corner piles.
4. Screwing in the remaining screw piles.
First you need to dig a hole in the place you have outlined. The depth of the pit should not exceed 0.5 - 0.7 meters. Piles should be screwed into the ground to a depth of at least 1.7 meters to avoid bulging under the influence of frost heaving. The process of screwing in screw piles can be done either manually or using special devices.
A crowbar is inserted into the technological hole at the end of the pile. Next, on both sides you should put a larger diameter pipe on it, which will serve as a lever. A magnetic level must be attached to the pile shaft. The angle of inclination should not exceed 1.5- 2 degrees. Otherwise, there will be an uneven distribution of the load, and as a result, deformation of the pile.The reliability and quality of the foundation as a whole depend on the correct tightening of screw piles.
After this, the piles need to be concreted. To do this, you need to use a cement-sand solution of grade M150. Concreting screw piles is only necessary to remove all the oxygen from the cavity of the pile shaft, thereby protecting it from corrosion from the inside. (No oxygen - no corrosion!)
7. Installation of heads.
The final stage of installation is welding the ends. The head needs to be put on the pile and welded. The weld seam should be cleaned and then treated with an anti-corrosion coating.
With proper construction of a pile-screw foundation, it can last for decades. It is important to immediately stop saving on material for building the foundation.
When ordering piles from our factory, you can be sure of their quality. We cooperate with leading metal suppliers. Therefore, we offer optimal prices for the range we sell.
Despite the fact that you can install screw piles yourself, it is sometimes difficult to navigate the sequence of actions. Our factory offers the services of qualified installers. They will install piles efficiently, in accordance with current standards and regulations. The foundation on our screw piles is durable regardless of the type of soil.
We will always help you choose the product by diameter and type. You can also calculate the required standard size of piles for your project. Thus, you will save not only money, but also time. Today, a screw pile is the optimal material for quick and reliable construction of a foundation.
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