Failure of a Push Pier

Below is a photo of a push pier that has failed. It was discovered when the homeowner hired us to repair their foundation from settlement. These push piers normally fail in the Denver Metro area because of their installation sand design. This house was lightly loaded. Meaning it did not weight very much. This installer did not have any live load on the house at installation. Additional weight from snow (live load) caused it to sink. Thus a failure. Once the push pier loses it bond with the soil on initial installation it no longer has the capacity to hold any real weight and will act as a cookie cutter going through dough. The bottom or start of the push pier is the same as the top. An open piece of pipe.

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