Tag Archives: mold

The EIFS Lies Countinue

Posted by Admin on December 8, 2009 None comments

Source: http://www.scottshepard.net/remaxil/modules/agent/agent.asp?p=pagecontent.asp&nav=1&pid=42&acc=89890

It’s ironic this guy’s last name is Shepard, because he’s leading his clients astray. Even today, uninformed real estate agents, building inspectors and many others are posting and re-posting false information about EIFS. I just need to address a few of the issues with this article:

1)

In 1994, moisture damage to the interior of walls was being linked to EIFS. In August 1995, 32 EIFS clad homes in North Carolina were tested and 30 were found to have moisture problems. In January 1996, the National Association of Home Builders issued a “Builders Alert” about EIFS. In May 1996, Raleigh North Carolina, imposed a moratorium on the product through January 1997. In March 1996, the North Carolina Building Code Council adopted stringent guidelines for the application of EIFS mandating that a drainage system be installed in the exterior walls of EIFS homes. By September 1996, twelve class-action lawsuits had been launched in the States. In September 1996, Maryland Casualty Company notified its clients, who were contractors, that work with EIFS systems would no longer be insurable. At about the same time, a major relocation company advised its clients that it would eliminate the guarantee on EIFS homes for employees seeking their services during a transfer.

The Mortgage Division of the Chevy Chase Bank decided about the same time to no longer accept mortgages on houses built with Synthetic Stucco. In January 1997, the Georgia Association of Realtors changed its property disclosure statement to disclose whether the house was built with EIFS.

It’s amazing how things can look bad when you stop half way through History. Could you imagine if we only knew about world war 2 up until 1940? I’d be scared for my life that Hitler was in power. That’s exactly what these uninformed “professionals” have done. Further testing revealed that the source of water intrusion was around window penetrations due to poorly specified and installed details. North Carolina later found that this problem was not exclusive by any means to EIFS, but to just about any cladding. Jump forward a few more years, and barrier EIFS (the type where the moisture problems were possibly with – are no longer being recommended by manufacturers, but have been replaced by a new system – dual-barrier/drainage EIFS.

2)

There are many different systems offered by various manufacturers, but in general, EIFS wall systems consist of a wood frame wall (usually 2×4 or 2×6 lumber), covered with sheathing such as plywood, OSB, or gypsum board. Plastic foam insulation boards are then glued or fastened to the sheathing. A 1/16- to 1/4- inch-thick stucco base coat is troweled on to the insulation. A glass fiber reinforcing mesh is imbedded in the base coat. Finally, a finished coat is sprayed, troweled or rolled on. This finish coat provides the color and texture of the home. Many installations have no building paper or housewrap behind the stucco to act as a backup material.

Again, this WAS the situation with EIFS, but isn’t any longer.

3)

Rainwater appears to be getting into the wall systems through imperfections in the stucco. These include joints around windows and doors and penetrations from railings, wiring, plumbing, vents, etc. Once water gets behind the system it gets trapped, leading to mold, mildew and rot of the sheathing, studs, flooring and other framing members. EIFS houses often look good until sections of the wall are removed revealing concealed damage. The damage can even take place within the first few years of the home’s life. As most of the damage has been found in houses in coastal areas, some have suggested that condensation is a problem; however, since the most severe damage seems to show up around wall penetrations, condensation does not appear to be the culprit. The worst damage is often found below and beside windows.

Modern EIFS allow water to drain, not trapping it any more. Penetrations around window should hardly be considered “imperfections” in the stucco as it’s a detail that the original builder should have properly finished, and not specifically related to EIFS.

4)

There is little that can be done on existing systems short of re-siding or paying fanatical attention to keeping the water out. Caulking and flashing maintenance should be a high priority for people with synthetic stucco houses.

In the very newest installations, contractors are using building paper or housewrap behind the insulation to protect the sheathing. In addition, the newest installations are designed with a drainage system behind the insulation to allow any water, which does get in, to drain out. This is not unlike the drainage system found in a brick veneer home. These improvements should work but only if they are well constructed.

The first point is a good one for any cladding – caulking needs to be replaced as required on any home. This typically needs to be done every 5-10 years for optimal performance, and a sure sign is that it’s cracking or peeling off the frame to which it’s attached.

5)

So far we know that areas of high rain fall, and particularly areas with rain accompanied by wind, result in houses with the most damage. Homes, which have no roof, overhang, a very small overhang or many penetrations through the wall systems (i.e. lots of windows and doors) are also at risk. Unfortunately, a visual inspection cannot tell the whole story and until invasive testing becomes standardized and sufficient data becomes available for our area, concealed damage in synthetic stucco houses will remain a question mark.  If you were planning to purchase or sell a home with EIFS that was installed before 1998, we would recommend a full EIFS inspection be performed and included with your closing documents.

Finally, something I can agree with. Any home a high-rain/wind (i.e. coastal) area is most susceptible to damage, EIFS or not. Small roof overhangs and lots of windows do increase the chances of problems in a cladding. Older EIFS installations do need to be inspected, and an EIFS-specific inspector is what is recommended. That’s not to say all new installations are perfect, EIFS is a very technically installation and there are a lot of contractors out there who are looking to make a quick buck, with no regard to their client or the industry they’re damaging.

Who’s Tim Oglesby? Supposedly “educated professional”: http://activerain.com/homecheck

Renovating House Siding With Stucco: Substrate Considerations

Posted by JamesCarnegie on November 5, 2008 None comments

On renovations and other non-new construction, the potential for hidden problems (read: costs) is always there. This holds particularly true in renovating your siding, where you never know what condition your substrate is in. Does this mean you should avoid the issue altogether? No. As they say: Kill the monster while it’s small, before it has the chance to become a full grown problem.

Replacing old Siding
You may be looking at EIFS for a multitude of reasons; saving money on your heating bill, damaged siding, or you may just be looking for a more modern look. A good portion of homes built in the 70s, 80s and even 90s used unattractive and incorrectly installed vinyl or board and batten siding. These days, not only is the siding considered retro and shows signs of aging, but in most cases it wasn’t properly sealed and may be covering serious rot and mold. The fact is you don’t know if the subdivision builder slapped the walls together as quickly and cheaply as possible, at a time comparable to medieval age in terms of knowledge about weather resistance.

Stucco Substrate Condition
In replacing your siding with stucco, you will be forced to take a good look at your substrate and it’s suitability for synthetic stucco siding. Any instance of mold or rot will need to be replaced before the trowel-applied weather barrier can be applied. The substrate is required to be free of surface contamination, including (not not limited to); dirt, form release agents, efflorescence, oil, chalkiness, and cracks greater than 1mm. Even in situations where the substrate is fine, it may not be approved to have EIFS applied over it. EIMA defines a suitable substrate as: “gypsum sheathing in compliance with ASTM C 1396 (formerly C 79), glass-mat gypsum sheating in compliance with ASTM C 1177 (Dens-Glass Gold® or BPB GlassRoc), and gypsum fiber panels in compliance with ASTM C1278 (Fiberock® Brand, Aqua Tough™)” and certain manufacturers such as Durabond have products for exterior grade plywood (which also acts as lateral bracing). Felt paper or building wrap is no longer recommended because it requires mechanical attachment, which penetrates the weather barrier, allowing moisture in. Certain substrates such as exterior-grade drywall (gypsum sheating) may also require lateral bracing between studs. Lateral bracing is used to prevent excessive horizontal movement and assist in absorbing wind loads transferred to it from the stucco wall. When in doubt, you may want to have an engineer look at your walls so as to avoid having your siding crack down the road. A final note is that most EIFS manufacturers require less than 1/4″ deflection per 60″ span (L/240) — a feat that a good portion of construction projects wouldn’t meet if measured.

Retrofiting Stucco with Brick and CMU
With brick and CMU (concrete masonry units), your sheating and cladding may not need to be touched at all. Brick contains an air gap between itself and the substrate — usually covered in a building wrap. This means that while you may need to level the brick face with basecoat to properly adhere the styrofoam, you need not worry about replacing the substrate, adding a drainage layer or the stucco causing moisture problems. Along the same lines, CMU construction can not rot or support mold growth and usually acts as a partial weather barrier (note: they usually have poly installed between the masonry and interior drywall.) In this case, the styrofoam may be applied directly to the CMU. Even on brick and masonry, it is a good idea to to have the drainage channel to prevent water from becoming trapped behind the EIFS cladding; and they still need to comply with sheating requirements (free of dirt, form release agents, efflorescence, oil, chalkiness, and cracks greater than 1mm.)

Overview
It’s important to realize that whatever is currently on your house will have an impact on how any siding replacement proceeds, and stucco is no exception. It is a good idea to have some extra money budgeted and an agreement with you stucco contractor as to what will happen in the event you run into unsuitable substrate. Stucco Contractors rarely do sheating replacement and you will likely need to find a general renovation contractor to do this before they can proceed. You will also need to have a large bin on site to dispose of your old sheating and substrate, or specify this as part of your general contractor’s job. In the case of applying stucco directly over brick or masonry, you may even be able to save some money because there’s one less layer to be applied.