Heaving of deck piers

Structure · Problems · printed page 39 (PDF page 40)

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Book index entries

Pier Heaving Heaving – of Deck Piers Piers – Heaving of Deck Footings – and Foundations Foundation – and Footing

Text in the illustration

without the insulating effect of snow on the ground under the deck, the frost depth can be much greater (enough to heave the deck piers if the soil is susceptible and enough moisture is present)
snow
deck
little or no snow below deck
foundation wall
concrete deck pier
frost heave
frost line
perspective
cross section

Generated explanation

The illustration shows a deck attached to a house and supported at its outer edge by posts on concrete piers, with a perspective inset and a larger cross section. Snow covers the deck and adjacent ground, but little or no snow lies beneath the deck. The dashed frost line extends deeper beneath the uninsulated deck area than beneath the snow-covered ground and passes below the bottom of the illustrated pier. An upward arrow indicates frost heave acting on the pier; the annotation explains that susceptible soil and sufficient moisture can allow this deeper freezing to heave deck piers.