EIFS Facts.org

• All Inspection Reports are accompanied by Moisture Analysis and Digital Photos
• We are one of the few firms in Texas Certified and Equipped to properly inspect EIFS
• EIFS Inspection Certification (EDI) Exterior Design Institute EIFS-MA TX # 39
• We have been involved with the installation and inspection of EIFS since 1996

• EIFS Inspection Standards of Practice

• EIFS Inspection Code of Ethics

Additional Services Offered:

• Noninvasive Testing
• Moisture Intrusion Analysis
• Invasive Probe Investigation and Testing
• Structural Resistance Testing
• Phase Construction Reporting
• Building Consultant

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• What is EIFS (synthetic stucco) EIFS is the acronym for Exterior Insulation and Finish System. EIFS is different than traditional hard coat stucco. EIFS utilizes a thick insulation board installed on top of your plywood, OSB, or gyprock wall sheathing before the surface finish is applied. Most problems are a result of moisture getting behind or trapped in the EIFS. The foam insulation board acts like a sponge and traps water against your plywood sheathing. Eventually, with enough moisture you can experience thousands of dollars in dry-rot and structural damage.                  

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• What to do if your house has EIFS (synthetic stucco) If your house is sided with EIFS you should contact ADAIR INSPECTION immediately to schedule an appointment. The cost of a thorough, detailed inspection, depends on the number and size of your structure(s), foundation type, number of stories, and the extent of your problems. My company only does the inspection and repair recommendation portion of the process. In order to stay unbiased we make no EIFS repairs or affiliate ourselves with EIFS repair companies. Please contact us for your specific pricing.

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  THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS

  November 30, 1998 Volume 14, Number 14

  Nation’s Building News

  Caution Advised in Using EIFS Systems

   

  Members who are installing barrier EIFS products in their homes are being strongly cautioned by NAHB that the design of the EIFS systems, unlike other cladding, does not allow water penetrating the external surface of the system to drain.

   

  NAHB believes that homes with barrier EIFS can develop moisture intrusion problems even when properly constructed according to industry standards. Also, home owners who do not diligently ensure that all openings in the house remain properly sealed and caulked over the life of the structure may be more likely to encounter water intrusion problems than with other types of cladding systems.

   

  NAHB agrees with liability insurance carriers, relocation services, mortgage lenders, building code officials in North Carolina and Georgia, and others who say that barrier EIFS systems make homes more susceptible to moisture intrusion problems. Some builders who have excellent records for quality in construction when building homes with other cladding systems have experienced problems with homes they built with barrier EIFS.

   

  There are two types of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems, or synthetic stucco, in use. In a barrier EIFS system, if water gets behind the foam insulating board by passing through penetrations in the EIFS – such as those for doors, windows, leakage through window frames, foot/wall intersections, chimneys and deck attachments – then it can become trapped and soak into the sheathing and other building components.

   

  It is for this reason that "drainable" EIFS systems are now being marketed. These new systems attempt to correct the drainage problems by providing a way for intruding water to escape. However, test results on the long-term effectiveness of these new systems are not yet available, and it remains to be seen whether the drainable systems are less problematic than barrier EIFS.

   

  Water damage to homes with barrier EIFS has resulted in numerous lawsuits, including a pending class action suit in North Carolina. The EIFS industry has blamed the problem on inadequate installation by builders. However, NAHB believes that these accusations are distracting attention from a more important issue: that barrier EIFS systems don’t provide a back-up system for protection against the water intrusion that occurs in most residential construction.

   

  All exterior finishes – vinyl, wood siding, brick, etc. – can, and do, experience occasional water intrusion problems such as when sealants crack or break down. However, these cladding systems allow the moisture to escape, unlike barrier EIFS systems, which trap the moisture – a point that some EIFS manufacturers ignore when claiming that the EIFS products are not the source of the moisture entry.

   

  Barrier EIFS were originally designed for masonry construction and typically used in the commercial sector. Integration of building components tended to be oriented toward commercial construction. In NAHB’s opinion, the barrier EIFS systems have proven to be incompatible with the existing wood frame construction methods typically used in residential construction in the United States, and that has resulted in significant problems.

   

  Determining the scope of the problem is difficult, because the damage usually occurs between the interior and exterior walls, which cannot be visually inspected. Although NAHB does not have an estimate of the number of EIFS homes with moisture intrusion problems, the problem is believed to be national in scope and not confined to states in the Southeast. NAHB examinations have determined that the level of damage is usually confined to less than 5% of the sheathing, which means that the large majority of moisture problems are manageable and can be repaired at a reasonable cost.

   

  During the past two years, NAHB has been working with consumers, manufacturers, insurers and other interested parties to try to negotiate a settlement so that most of the monies expended would be devoted to fixing houses for home owners rather than paying legal fees. Also, HAHB and the NAHB Research Center have been working with EIFS manufacturers (such as Dryvit Systems, Inc. and Sto Corp.), Zurich Insurance (formerly known as "The Maryland") and building code officials to develop repair methods that cost effectively retrofit barrier-EIFS so that water entering behind exterior cladding does not become trapped and has an avenue of escape. These methods are currently being field tested and are expected to be available in the marketplace some time next year.

   

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  More about EIFS

  EIFS, or Exterior Insulated Finishing Systems, (sometimes referred to as "synthetic stucco") are wall systems that incorporate insulation with the exterior cladding and were invented in Europe after 1947. German engineers formulated a variety of materials utilizing polymer chemistry around the same time. These modern materials were based on plastics technology and were soon brought together to form what is known as an EIFS wall system.
  
  Use of the product became very popular due to its physical, aesthetic and economical characteristics. The rebuilding of Europe after the Second World War spawned widespread usage of these systems that worked well with construction standards at that time. Typical construction of residential dwellings in Europe consisted of a masonry structure and then the application of an EIFS wall system. The first commercial producer of EIFS in Europe was the Sto Corporation.
  
  The first project in the United States was begun in Rhode Island in 1969. The introduction stage lasted up until about 1976. During this time, one company, the Dryvit Co., manufactured and marketed the product in this country. Application was primarily in the commercial market.
  
  From 1976 to 1990, substantial growth occurred in this industry. Additional competition entered the marketplace and projects were completed which received national attention from industry press. The manufacture and installation of EIFS wall systems were becoming known as an industry and there was significant development as a result of increased competition.
  
  Today EIFS buildings account for nearly 17% of the commercial market and about of the 3% of the residential market.
  
  EIFS is a non-load bearing exterior wall finishing system that gives the building a stucco-like appearance.

The system typically consists of four components:

1) Panels of expanded polystyrene foam insulation glued and screwed to the substrate or vapor barrier.
2) A base coat that is troweled over the foam insulation panels.
3) A glass fiber reinforcing mesh that is laid over the polystyrene insulation panels and fully embedded in the base coat and.
4) A finish coat that is troweled over the base coat and the reinforcing mesh. The base coat, mesh and finish coat are usually 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thick. This is also called the lamina.

There are two basic types of EIFS currently in use in this country, barrier and water-managed (or drainage). Barrier EIFS is designed to divert all water from the exterior surface. Water-managed EIFS assumes that some water will penetrate the surface and incorporates redundant water-management features (flashing, weeping, drainage plane and water-durable substrates) to ensure that water that penetrates the exterior finish will quickly exit the system. Most EIFS clad homes in the U.S. are barrier EIFS systems.

The advantage of EIFS as a finishing system is that it is energy efficient and economical to install. Regrettably, barrier EIFS systems have been found to have problems, often severe, with moisture intrusion, the overwhelming majority of which are due to poor installation practices by installers. In 1995, building inspectors in Wilmington, North Carolina discovered severe moisture damage on hundreds of EIFS clad homes in that area. Similar problems have since been discovered on EIFS clad homes in other parts of the country, resulting in class action lawsuits against the EIFS manufacturers. In some cases, removal of the EIFS cladding has revealed extensive water damage to the framing, compromising the buildings’ structural integrity.

Because the EIFS system is practically watertight, water that penetrates behind the EIFS sheathing does not readily evaporate. The barrier EIFS system is designed to allow for small amounts of water vapor, but the system does not allow larger amounts of moisture to readily evaporate. Water can become trapped and can be absorbed into the substrate and framing. Unlike more traditional facades, there is normally no secondary barrier (housewrap or building paper) installed behind the EIFS to protect the sheathing or framing. Severe damage could occur without any exterior signs. These problems can exist regardless of the age of the building or the quality of construction. Some of our inspections have revealed extensive damage to buildings’ substrate and framing, of which the homeowners were completely unaware. If problem areas are identified, preventative measures can be taken before damage occurs, or before it becomes extensive enough to jeopardize the structural integrity of the building. Early detection and prevention of moisture intrusion can save thousands of dollars in repairs later on.

Water does not usually enter through the EIFS system itself, but through penetrations in the EIFS. The most common areas of moisture intrusion are around windows and doors, at the intersections between the EIFS and the roof, and areas where the EIFS has been penetrated by attachments such as mailboxes, shutters, decorative molding, roof gutters, railings, deck attachments, vents, chimney caps over EIFS clad chimneys, and utility lines and pipes, et al. Meticulous attention to the EIFS manufacturer's installation instructions is essential to prevent water intrusion. EIFS systems also depend heavily on sealants to keep moisture from getting behind the system. If the sealant is improperly installed, of the inappropriate type, decayed, damaged or missing, water intrusion may occur. Moisture intrusion may also occur if the EIFS itself is cracked or damaged.

An EIFS moisture inspection is intended to identify installation defects, locate areas of high moisture content in the sheathing and framing, to identify areas where the substrate has already been damaged by water, and to identify areas of potential moisture intrusion. Often, an EIFS moisture inspection will detect leaks that are not related to the EIFS system at all. For example, our inspectors have located plumbing leaks, roof leaks and leaks from shower and bathtub enclosures during EIFS inspections.

There are standard inspection protocols governing EIFS inspections, but each building must be evaluated independently. The nature and scope of the inspection may change according to what is discovered. The inspection of the average house takes about 2 hours, but may take several hours, and may even span more than one day.

Before the inspection the buyer, homeowner, Insurance Company, or other client is asked to detail what specific areas of concern should be addressed, any problems that have been seen, and other information about the building. When the EIFS inspection occurs as a result of a real estate sale, the EIFS inspector should coordinate with the home inspector and the termite inspector to share information and findings. After the inspection, a customized report is prepared for the homeowner or client, including recommendations about maintaining an EIFS building to minimize the risk of water damage.

In a standard EIFS inspection a non-intrusive moisture scanner (Tramex Wet Wall Detector®) is used to identify areas of probable high moisture content. In an exhaustive inspection areas where the scanner indicates high moisture content probability a probe moisture meter (Tramex® Professional Moisture Meter for Wood) is inserted to test for the moisture content of the substrate and to test for damage to the substrate.  The probe moisture meter is also used at random locations throughout the system, and in areas where potential moisture intrusion typically occurs, such as near windows. High moisture content in the probe reading indicates that water intrusion has indeed occurred, and may be causing structural damage to the building. If the probe indicates that the substrate is soft, this could be a sign that significant damage has already occurred. The probe moisture meter will make small ice pick-sized holes in the EIFS, which are then sealed by the inspector with an industry-approved sealant. A Structural Resistance Tester (SRT) may also be incorporated to determine the moisture's effects on the substrates. 

If the probe moisture meter indicates high moisture content, or if areas of soft substrate are found, it may be necessary or advisable to conduct a more invasive inspection. This will involve removing sections of the EIFS to physically inspect the substrate or framing. Sometimes significant damage is discovered, which, if not repaired, could jeopardize the building’s structural integrity.

Annual inspections of EIFS buildings are recommended by the industry, including all of the systems manufacturers and the National Association of Home Builders, to minimize the risk of serious damage and to identify potential problems before they become serious. Be sure to utilize the services of an EDI (Exterior Design Institute) and EIMA (EIFS Industry Members Association) certified EIFS inspector.

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  These are useful links if you want to research EIFS, defective siding, or file a claim. They also have pictures, FAQ's, and other useful information. Clicking will take you away from this site, please bookmark for future reference.

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EIFS Cleaning http://www.exterior-design-inst.com/CleaningSpecifications.html 

EIFS Industry Members Association www.eima.com

Legal News about EIFS www.stuccolaw.com

EIFS Alliance www.eifsalliance.com

Stucco cracks http://www.stuccomfgassoc.com/cracks.html 

If you have any questions, or are interested in any of our other services, please contact us so we may discuss your specific needs.