Test a few piles before anyone pours concrete.
Every pile passed its twisting test on paper. But that test can't see the loose layer underneath. And the photos now suggest some logged finals weren't each pile's own reading. A witnessed re-torque and a short load test on a handful of well-chosen piles answer both. Doing it before the pour costs days. Finding a problem after the pour costs the foundation.
The path to pouring concrete
Dmitri has twice said to drop the load test and do torque checks only. Ask him why in person. A re-torque shows the screw still grips. Only a load test shows whether the soil under the screw holds.
This week, in order
The photos are the operator's
Cantsink's operator texted them to Murat. Still worth asking Murat: what day he received the 4/6/15 photos, whether 110/111 came the same way, and which pile was filmed on 9/24 at 10:47 am ("7′ × 2").
Settle the test list and his load-test reversal
Ask Dmitri to mark B-1 and B-2 on the pile plan. Ask why he dropped the load test. Agree on 8–12 candidate piles to send Juan, including the group D record-problem piles.
Get his position in writing
Ask about the loose layer, test piles, pile 87 as a pair, piles under 20 ft, the 46 over the shaft rating, and the cut-off height. Afterwards I'll pull the call recording and draft a confirming email.
Field sheets and burned holes
Sent 10/7, copying Juan, Scott, Murat and Dmitri: a date for the field sheets, and where the burned holes are recorded, for the 34 "cut & ext added" piles. Next to ask: which pile his operator's photos of 4, 6 and 15 actually show, where those three finals came from, the same for 110 and 111, and a list of every pile replaced or re-driven.
Revise the $11,380 proposal before signing
It's a torque check on 6 piles, with no load test and no per-pile price. Ask for: REJAK, LLC as client; per-pile prices for 8–12 re-torques and for 2–3 load tests; Quartet's own calibrated monitor, recording the whole drive; Juan picks the piles and gets the results; no "deemed acceptance" clause. Also ask for the date of the B-1/B-2 lab report.
Hold the pour
Under §8, the pour waits for Juan's certification. Confirm in writing that no depth charges are billed without a signed change order (§7).
Which piles to test
Take a few from each risk group, so a pass tells you about the whole group. Juan should make the final pick. Choosing independently is what makes the result count.
| Group | Candidates (net ft / final ft-lb) | Why | Suggest |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · On the crust loose layer just below | 46 (21 / 7,003), 41 (21 / 7,113), 42 (21 / 7,238), 37 (19 / 7,128), 71 (19 / 6,927), 101 (20 / 6,865), 104 (20 / 6,811), 105 (20 / 6,913) | Dmitri's list. The pile 12 situation: firm crust over loose wet sand. | 2–3 re-torque, 1 load test |
| B · In the loose layer | 87 (25 / 6,618), 43 (23 / 6,727), 9 (23 / 6,757), 5 (24 / 6,794), 14 (24 / 7,234), 13 (24 / 6,838), 45 (23 / 6,868), 150 (24 / 6,885); plus 1, 2, 7, 39, 44, 50, 52, 79, 88, 89, 96, 131, 152 | Blade sits in the weak soil itself. 43, 9 and 5 are among the lowest single-pile finals. | 2–3 re-torque, 1 load test |
| C · Shallowest (14 ft) | 18 (6,927), 19 (7,112), 21 (7,197), 22 (6,785), 23 (7,095), 28 (7,057), 122 (7,103), 125 (7,116), 126 (7,033), 136 (7,362), 137 (7,159), 139 (7,128) | Above the crust, in soil as loose as N 8 (B-2). | 1–2 re-torque, 1 load test |
| D · Record problems | 4 (33.5 / 6,712), 6 (39.5 / 6,866), 15 (22 / 6,942), 110 (21 / 6,857), 111 (21 / 6,839), 46 (21 / 7,003), 2 (24 / 6,999) | Photos conflict with the logged final (section 6 of tab 09). A witnessed re-torque settles each one directly. | re-torque all 7 |
Group D is about the paperwork, not the soil, so it doesn't need Juan's pick. Re-torque all seven. Pile 87 is no longer the test case on its own merits. As half of a pair it only needs 5,556 and has 6,618. It's still a reasonable pick for group B, because its blade is in the loose layer at 25 ft.
Don't pour until every box is checked
- Final pile logs and sealed certification received (10/5)
- Pair list received; pile 87 explained (10/6)
- Calibration certificate matches the monitor on site
- Every RockSolid and Murat photo checked against the log (10/7)
- Source of the 4/6/15 photos confirmed: Cantsink's operator (10/7)
- Cantsink explains the 4, 6, 15 (and 110, 111) finals, or those piles are re-torqued
- Original field sheets received and compared with the final logs
- Group D piles (4, 6, 15, 110, 111, 46, 2) re-torqued with the whole drive filmed
- Burned-hole piles identified, with Juan's OK on corrosion and strength
- Quartet lab report and their view on the 23–26 ft layer
- Test piles chosen by Juan; re-torque done, filmed by a third party
- Load test on 2–3 piles, settlement acceptable to Juan
- Juan's written acceptance: piles under 20 ft, the 46 over 7,091, pile 82 shift
- Cut-off elevation issued; Cantsink cuts the tops
- Juan signs the §8 certification of the torque logs
What not to do
- Don't accept Andrew's "500,000 lb extra" argument. Total capacity doesn't matter. Each pile carries what's directly above it.
- Don't let the tops be cut before testing. A cut pile needs an extension welded on before it can be tested again.
- Don't pay any depth overage without a signed change order. That's $23k–$34k at $28/ft, and §7 requires the order.
- Don't call it falsification. One plausible explanation is that the crew didn't write down some finals and filled them in later from screen photos. That's a records failure, not proof the piles are weak. A witnessed re-torque of 4, 6, 15, 110 and 111 settles it without an argument.