BRIEF THOUGHTS ON INSPECTION AND TESTING OF EIFS
By Robert J. Kudder
1. SYSTEM EVALUATION
1.1 Inspection During Construction
1.1.1 System warrantee qualifications and quality assurance requirements of project documents can mandate an inspection program during construction. As with all site-constructed systems, a well formulated and properly implemented inspection program during construction is a prudent undertaking capable of preventing avoidable errors and performance problems over the expected life of the system. Dealt with in a cooperative manner, the inspection program can assist the designer, the contractor and supplier, and the Owner in achieving optimal results and a valid system warrantee.
1.1.2 The success of an inspection program depends on several organizational and technical criteria:
1.1.2.1 The program must be thoroughly described in the project documents in order to minimize disputes during construction.
1.1.2.2 The scope, frequency, recording and reporting protocols, criteria for rejecting work, and the required response to rejected work should be specified and understood in advance of construction.
1.1.3 An inspection program does not relieve the construction team form an obligation to perform the work properly and in compliance with the project documents. Nor does an inspection program relieve the designer from the obligation to provide complete and well conceived project documents. The inspection program complements the normal functions of the construction team and the designer – it is not a substitute for them. The scope of an inspection program serves the purposes of quality assurance for compliance with the contract documents.
1.1.3.1 The contract documents must contain clearly defined procedures for changing the design requirements and for properly compensating the parties involved. The inspection program is not the proper venue for changing the contract documents.
1.1.4 Requirements for access and the potential for interruption of the work must be specified so that all bidders can include these costs in their bids.
1.1.5 The inspection must be performed by a trained and knowledgeable person, familiar with the manufacturer’s recommendations, standard practices, and the project documents.
1.1.6 Reporting of findings must be timely, and distribution of reports and a chain of communications should be established and adhered.
1.1.7 The objective of the inspection program is assurance that the project is constructed in compliance with the contract documents. The expectation for the program is an independent third-party statement that the work complies with the contract documents, and that his statement is supported by sufficiently and documented observations during construction.
1.1.7.1 The Owner may elect full-time or intermittent observations.
1.1.7.2 The Owner should be advised that the reliability of the inspection findings will vary with the resources available for the program, and that expectations for the program must be reasonable.
1.1.8 The inspection program can be established to address some or all of the following:
1.1.8.1 Materials labeling, storage, handling and shelf life.
1.1.8.2 Compliance with installation instructions.
1.1.8.3 Temporary protection requirements and exposure to the elements of partially finished work.
1.1.8.4 Proper coverage rates of liquid applied materials.
1.1.8.5 Proper thickness and spacing of sheet materials.
1.1.8.6 Fastener type, size, spacing and installation.
1.1.8.7 Laps and splices.
1.1.8.8 Installation of trim and accessories.
1.1.8.9 Installation of termination and interfacing details.
1.1.8.10 Procedures for temporary termination of the work area, and procedures for restarting the work.
1.1.8.11 Sealant thickness and shape, and surface preparation.
1.1.8.12 Consistency of finish texture and color.
1.2 Field testing during construction.
1.2.1 Testing during construction can be a component of a quality assurance program. The project documents must provide a complete description of the tests required.
1.2.2 The proper utilization of field testing requires that the system properties and performance characteristics to be tested during construction also be specified and verified by testing prior to construction. Field testing should not introduce new and unverified requirements which were not addressed prior to construction in the project documents.
1.2.3 The differences between laboratory and system qualification testing, and field testing during construction must be recognized. The conditions of construction, and the conditions for testing are potentially different. Therefore, it is legitimate to specify different test result requirements for laboratory preconstruction tests and tests on samples taken from the project or conducted on the constructed wall.
1.2.4 Test results always include some variability, often described as “scatter” and measured by the coefficient of variation (COV). A wider scatter in field test results should be expected than for laboratory test results. At this time, there is insufficient experience with field testing of EIFS systems to establish target ranges for COV. An informed evaluation of scatter can be made by comparing field with laboratory test results.
1.2.5 Field testing may be destructive, and require the replacement of the work. Therefore the type, scope, and frequency of test requirements must be completely described in the project documents so that bidders can include the legitimate patching costs in their bids. A procedure for patching the test locations, and a criteria for accepting the patch, should be specified in the project documents.
1.2.6 Field testing can address some or all of the following:
1.2.6.1 Fastener pull-out capacity.
1.2.6.2 Impact resistance.
1.2.6.3 Water penetration.
1.2.6.4 Water drainage capacity (obstruction of drainage paths).
1.2.6.5 Water absorption properties.
1.2.6.6 Interlayer adhesion and intralayer cohesion.
1.2.6.7 Adhesion of sealants.
1.2.6.8 Wet film or dry film thickness. Note that testing of film thickness is different from the observation of coverage rates. If both are specified, the requirements must be reasonably consistent with each other. In this case, film thickness might be thought of as a check of variation within the required coverage rate.
1.3 Field investigation after construction.
1.3.1 Field investigations after construction are usually performed to diagnose the causes of deficient performance. Problems can be associated with structural, durability or water penetration and leakage resistance performance.
1.3.2 The scope of a field investigation should include:
1.3.2.1 Construction details of the EIFS system and the structural substrate.
1.3.2.2 Peripheral components such as trim pieces, coping, penetrations and the interface with other wall components.
1.3.2.3 Material properties of components of the EIFS system.
1.3.2.4 Performance of the components which the EIFS interfaces with, and the effect on the performance of the EIFS.
1.3.3 A field investigation should be sufficient in scope to diagnose the cause or causes of all relevant aspects of the deficient performance.
1.3.3.1 For rain penetration and water leakage performance investigations, refer to ASTM Guide Specification E-XXXX.
1.3.3.2 Other investigation programs can include structural load tests using vacuum suction or air bladders, condensation studies utilizing implanted instruments, infrared thermography studies, impact tests, EIFS adhesion tests, sealant sampling and adhesion tests, material property tests, etc.
1.4 EIFS condition assessment.
1.4.1 Purchasing, reserve fund requirements, maintenance and replacement decisions can require an assessment of the current condition of an EIFS system.
1.4.2 The objective of a condition assessment is to determine if the system is performing as expected, and has a predictable and customary expected life. By extension, the condition assessment can also assist in determining action required to achieve a desire service life.
1.4.3 A condition assessment can address some or all of the following:
1.4.3.1 Erosion, oxidation and chalking of the finish.
1.4.3.2 Service damage
1.4.3.3 Cracking of the finish and base coats.
1.4.3.4 Sealant condition.
1.4.3.5 Corrosion of fasteners
1.4.3.6 Leakage damage
1.4.3.6.1 Deterioration of EIFS and substrate materials.
1.4.3.6.2 Mold and mildew growth
1.4.3.6.3 Corrosion of metal components.
1.4.3.7 Condition of trim and accessories.
1.4.3.7.1 Component deterioration and cracking.
1.4.3.7.2 Adhesion of EIFS
1.4.3.8 Damage to EIFS system from deficiencies in other wall components such as windows, doors, balconies and coping.
1.4.3.9 Damage to the EIFS system from building operations, such as garden watering, lawn maintenance, pedestrian traffic, vehicular traffic, materials handling, etc.
1.4.3.10 Damage to the EIFS system from deficiencies in the structural substrate, such as excessive deflection, structural movements, etc.
(Note: Comments above have been submitted to ASTM E06.58 for consideration and review)