The best foundation repair solutions for a settling Greenville home are push piers and helical piers. Foundations settle because the soil that was supposed to support them began to shift, thus becoming unreliable. Foundation piers are then used to stabilize the home and provide a support system that doesn’t rely on a volatile material like surface soil. There is one thing that many get wrong about foundation piers, and it’s that the house is supported by the piers alone. However, the piers transfer the majority of the home’s weight to the load-bearing soils deep underground that do not erode as easily as topsoil. The main difference between helical piers and push piers is the way they function to stabilize the house. Helical piers are steel rods with helix blades welded to one of the ends. The helix blades help the rods get mechanically driven into the soil until reaching the needed depth. Helical piers have trouble going through sedimentary rock, so it might not be the best pier type for you if the terrain on your property is on the rougher side. Helical piers can support a tremendous amount of weight, but if your home is too heavy, push piers will be needed. Push piers are typically used for larger buildings because they rely on a counterweight to stay underground. They do not have helix blades, and, instead of being drilled into the ground, they are hydraulically pushed in—hence the name. Push piers exert an incredible amount of pressure on the foundation, stabilizing it and even lifting it up on occasion. The house needs to return that pressure right back so that everything stays even. Push piers do better on tougher soils and are able to push through sedimentary rock better than helical piers.