Masonry Magazine October 1997 Page. 36
The surface lamina of EIFS begin to bubble up or separate from the insulation boards. "Frowns" are caused by the presence of excessive water behind the surface coatings that causes separation of the coatings from the insulation board.
Unsealed penetrations through the EIFS
Unsealed penetrations of pipes, wires and equipment, including fasteners for these, through the EIFS are prime locations for water to enter behind the cladding.
Presence of insects
The presence of ants, termites and other insects are a sign that moisture may be in the wall system. Inspections by the author have discovered ants and termites, for example, in the framing on the second floor walls of two story buildings. Most of the time, in the absence of moisture, insects would not be found this high up in a building. Leaks in the cladding system have almost always been found near where the insects were located.
Close clearances at the ground, or near other objects
Nearby objects can contribute splatter, or when coupled with poor flashing jobs, may supply moisture into the wall system behind the EIFS.
Free water inside
The presence of free water inside the building, either at the base of walls in carpets or on other floor finishes, in the ceilings near perimeter walls, or around window sills during or immediately after storms are signs that there may be leaks in the EIFS cladding system.
Owners of EIFS-clad buildings who notice any of the above conditions should have their facilities inspected by a qualified professional immediately. Reasonable inspection procedures that involve visual inspections and/or the use of moisture meters would be the next stage in the process of knowing what is going on in the building cladding system. If moisture readings of 20% or higher are discovered in wood framing and sheathing materials behind the EIFS following rainfall, for example, or there are signs of deterioration of substrates, then the presence of moisture and hence decay of wood-based materials, deterioration of gypsum board sheathing, or corrosion of metals in the wall cavity are a high probability. Owners should note too that wood rot can occur at moisture contents less than 20% when temperatures and relative humidity are held high enough for a long time, so even this rule-of-thumb requires professional judgment on a case-by-case basis.
Tens of Thousands of Square Feet of the EIFS are Being Installed incorrectly on a Daily Basis
The next stage in the inspection process usually requires removal of EIFS in suspected areas to observe firsthand how extensive the damage is and what repairs will be necessary to meet building code and building performance requirements. Generally speaking, when leaks are discovered in synthetic stucco wall systems without drainage planes, the best advice is to remove the entire cladding system and to install a new one. The author's experience is that owners often look hard at alternative wall finishes by this time.
In conclusion, it is probably safe to say that EIFS will continue to be used in the years ahead. The problems that have surfaced with EIFS are being addressed by a range of groups, each with their own agendas for solving past problems and for making sure future problems do not occur. New systems that incorporate drainage plane designs are now being offered by most EIFS manufacturers. Increased consciousness of the problems of EIFS by owners will conceivably drive the industry towards better cladding system designs that are more forgiving of the inevitable water penetration. In the author's experience, however, tens of thousands of square feet of the EIFS are being installed incorrectly on a daily basis all over the United States, in spite of what is known about the dangers of applications without drainage planes.
Those who are risk aversive in their investments might want to consider these potential problems. As a minimum, owners should study the literature on EIFS and make informed decisions about their use. There are building cladding systems that are more forgiving of the inevitable water penetration, or that indicate problems much sooner when water-related damage is occurring, than EIFS do, especially the systems without drainage planes. Life cycle cost analyses will often show that many of the alternative cladding systems to EIFS are better long-term investment choices.
by Charles W. Graham, Ph.D., AIA
Architect and Associate Professor
Department of Construction Science
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843-3137
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