Policy Statements: EIFS Compliance Requires Tested Materials |
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November 9, 2012 Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) are assemblies of components that are manufactured or supplied by a single manufacturer. EIMA and its manufacturing members have worked very closely with building code agencies and experts in fire performance, durability testing and hygrothermal analysis for exterior wall cladding systems. EIFS is a system. The performance of EIFS always depends on the contributions of the various component materials that are incorporated into the system as designed and specified by the manufacturer. Changing one component material can change the performance of the system. This has long been recognized by EIFS industry members and code compliance agencies, and for this reason, code compliance of EIFS is evaluated based on a combination of materials and system tests. The construction industry continues to be very cost conscious and has become more global with regard to supply sources. This can be a challenge if those factors result in substitute products (not tested as part of the system) being offered without the participation of the manufacturer and the entire EIFS specification team and presents several concerns:
Mixing materials from different manufacturers in the same assembly is also not permitted since the resulting EIFS is no longer a tested system. This can happen when on-hand stock is used to finish a project instead of ordering additional material. The products have not been tested as a system and the performance of the “hybrid” system is not known. Also, when this occurs, neither manufacturer can provide a warranty for the system. In short, all products used to construct EIFS on a given project should be manufactured or supplied by a single EIFS manufacturer as part of a system of integrated products. While some materials such as reinforcing mesh or insulation board may appear to be generic and interchangeable, in fact, using untested substitutes can result in unknown and, in some cases, very serious performance deficiencies. For further information, please contact EIMA's office at 1-703-538-1616. |
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