Deck Foundation (cement piers)
I put a deck in about ten years ago using seandard construction techniques. I poured a pier about 1 X 1 X 2 feet clyinder. Normally around here, Central Pennsylvania, 14 " will get you below the frost line. This winter was hard on outdoor structures. The freeze went much deeper than normal. The piers popped up. A lot of work, but I got to it and tore the deck down and dug out the peirs. It has been rainy this spring and I had to wait for the work area to be dry enough to work in. Today I pulled half of the concrete peirs out of the ground. To my surprise, water filled the holes to within a foot of the top of the hole. Each of my peirs was 24" or more and should have with stood the freeze, but it did not. Not what do I do? Any suggestions for supporting the deck when the ground water level seems to vary? How should I construct the new piers? Thanks, Gary