Many buildings were built with a push pier foundation system. Push piers have been a mainstay in the construction and foundation industry

for over a hundred years. This design has many names: Push piles, resistance piers, hydraulic push piers, and jacked piles to name a few.

No matter the name, this pier's history speaks for itself.

Push pier systems were first used in the Northeastern United States, beginning in the 1800s. Builders in New York began pushing hollow pipes

into the ground to reach load-bearing stratum.   This method became popular in the Northeast because the hollow tubes could be pushed

below frost lines, making foundations more secure.   This system was widely used for commercial and home construction by the mid 1900s.

Function & Advantages of Push Piers

A push pier is basically a series of hollow pipes fit together and pushed into the ground, hence the name push pier. Piers are pushed in using

a hydraulic ram until it reaches load-bearing stratum. They are then anchored to the structure with pier brackets. The weight of the structure

becomes the resistance mass needed to push against the piers. This resistance keeps them in place and creates stability, lift, and leveling for

the foundation. These hollow pipes can be reinforced by adding non-shrink grout and rebar, thus increasing the overall lateral stability.

Push piers are finalized when the required capacity is reached and/or the foundation begins to move.  

Push piers are a viable option for some foundation repair jobs. Most notably, these piers can be installed in tight spaces. The required equipment

is all handheld, and piers are fit together as needed to reach load-bearing stratum. Therefore, the required space can be as small as 3'x3', with a

6' overhead clearance.

Push piers are also advantageous when repairing a heavy building's foundation. The heavier structure works well with this system because the

piers are “pushed” into the ground using the building’s weight. Two-story homes, brick structures, and commercial buildings provide the

needed resistance mass.

Limitations of Push Piers

There are limitations that put push piers at a disadvantage when compared to helicals. The biggest downside is with its weight requirement.

Push piers are not ideal for lighter loads. If the mass is lighter, like a 1-story home or garage, it will not provide enough resistance to push the

pier to capacity. Some foundation companies opt to use this system for commercial buildings instead of homes because of their weight.

Permanence is another limitation of push piers.These pier types are compression-fit. This means each pier uses the weight of the building

to press and fit the pipes together. They cannot be removed or relocated once installed. If you were to build an addition to your home,

these piers would not be movable to adapt with the addition. Instead, you would have to add more piers to support the added weight.

Other limitations for push piers includes:

Inability to use broken footings. Push piers are not a repair option if the foundation footings are cracked or broken. Piers can only be

installed vertically. Bowing walls may require piers be installed at an angle. Push piers can only be installed vertically due to their

compression-fit design.