Helical Light Pole Foundation
A helical light pole foundation, also called a Street Light Foundation, is a cast-in-place deep foundation element installed into the ground to support light poles. It’s an economical and time-saving solution that can be used in different ground conditions when installing light poles.
This heavy-duty base is designed for at-grade and above-grade mounting of light poles. It’s an easy-to-install solution that provides excellent lateral capacity. Each helical light pole foundation has a recommended helical foundation, design overturning moment, and design lateral load.
Helical light pole foundations come ready for installation. Each foundation is made up of several parts – a mounting plate, wiring slots, a hot dip galvanized shaft, a standard helix, and a stinger or pilot.
Although they are primarily designed as foundations for light poles, helical light pole foundations provide critical functions. First, they support the heavy structure of a light pole. Second, they can be used to strengthen or replace existing light pole foundations. Besides, they are ideal for all-weather installation and are environmentally friendly.
Without excavating, a helical light pole foundation is drilled or screwed into the blacktop surface and soil. It is pushed until it reaches the soil found below the active zone. Contractors do this to create the appropriate torque-to-capacity ratio.
A two-man crew uses hydraulic rotary equipment to install helical light pole foundations into the ground. The crew also uses leveling tools to ensure the foundation is properly installed into the ground.
Key Features
- Economic solution
- Made from durable steel
- No spoils created
- Lighter than pre-cast concrete base
- No vibration installation
- All weather installation
- Immediate loading
- Temporary/ permanent applications
- Environmentally friendly
Helical Light Pole Foundation Drawing
| Series | Length (ft) | Bolt Circle Range (in) | Top Plate Configuration | Cableway Size Inches (cm) | Cableway Location from Base Plate Inches (cm) | Hardware Size (in) |
| SLF58-14 | 5 | 8-14 | Slotted | 2-5/8 X 12 | 12 (30.5) | 1 X 4 Carriage Bolt |
| SLF610 | 6 | 10.5 | Tapped Bolt Holes | 2-5/8 X 12 | 12 | 1 X 2.5 Hex Bolts |
| SLF511-17 | 5 | 11-17 | Slotted | 2-5/8 X 12 | 12 (30.5) | 1 X 4 Carriage Bolt |
| SLF611-17 | 6 | 11-17 | Slotted | 2-5/8 X 12 | 12 (30.5) | 1 X 4 Carriage Bolt |
| SLF711-17 | 7 | 11-17 | Slotted | 2-5/8 X 12 | 12 (30.5) | 1 X 4 Carriage Bolt |
What is a Helical Light Pole Foundation?
It’s a wire-ready steel foundation designed to provide support for the installation of street lights, architectural lighting, and roadway lighting among others.
Helical Light Pole Foundation Applications
There are two main applications of helical light pole foundations – above-grade and at-grade installation of light poles. These foundations provide reliable lateral load support ranging from 150 to 1,500 pounds. They are typically used in the installation of the following types of light poles.
- Street light poles
- Parking lot light poles
- Architectural lighting
- Roadway lighting systems
- Solar array pole mount
Helical Light Pole Foundation Components and Assembly
A helical light pole foundation features several components. Each part is expertly engineered to give the foundation strong structural integrity. Here is a breakdown of the main components of this type of foundation:
- High Strength Pipe: It is a cylindrical structure and the largest component of the foundation that runs from top to bottom. It’s usually made of heavy-duty material. Additionally, the high-strength pipe is hot dip galvanized to improve its corrosion protection in humid conditions.
- Rugged Helix: This is a corkscrew component fitted at the bottom of a foundation. It has a rugged design that can penetrate difficult soils with ease. It also provides strong and reliable helical anchoring when the foundation is successfully installed into the soil.
- Stinger/ Pilot: It’s the lead point at the bottom tip of the foundation. It’s engineered to facilitate the initial penetration when the foundation is screwed into the ground.
- Base Plate: This is the structural steel top on which a light pole is attached and secured with bolts. Base plates come in three different designs – three-bolt variable bolt circle, four-bolt circle, and three-bolt circle. A helical light pole foundation with a compatible base plate is used in every application.
- Wiring Slots: Each helical light pole foundation comes with wiring slots with a two-sided entrance. These slots allow for easy and quick wiring of a light pole.
How a Helical Light Pole Foundation Works?
Once installed into the ground, a helical light pole foundation provides lateral load support for the light pole. It’s pre-engineered to resist uplift, compression, and wind.
The rugged helix welded at the bottom of the foundation provides helical anchoring (load-bearing member) and helps drive the foundation deep into the ground.
A helical light pole foundation has wiring slots for providing power to the lights. The electrical conduits used are typically positioned in the center of the base plate. This ensures there is a minimum protrusion of the conduits.
When helical light pole foundations are laid out in a straight line or a grid pattern. The contractors ensure they are set accurately. This produces an aesthetically pleasing appearance when the light poles are illuminated.
What Accessories It is Used With?
A helical light pole foundation is used with a light pole. A hydraulic rotary equipment is used to drive a helical light pole foundation into the ground. This equipment is bolted to the base plate of the foundation. Then the contractor rotates the equipment to start drilling. A bullet leveling tool is used to properly level the helical light pole foundation as it is driven into the ground.