Water Damage to Homes and Buildings is Ugly!

Leaks in Homes & Buildings are Expensive ….Sometimes Profoundly So Leaks = Property Damage Mold Lawyers Litigation

Gapstop What if there were a product that could profoundly reduced leaks in stucco buildings?

Gapstop What Causes Leaks in Stucco Buildings? Leaks can be caused by: Windows & Doors that are faulty Penetrations through exterior walls - pipes, vents, electrical Design problems – (sills without slope etc.) “The Gap” - between the penetrations and stucco - (the most misunderstood source of leaks in stucco buildings)….. more later

Gapstop Yeah….. but what about the stucco itself….doesn’t stucco leak? The simple answer is: NO! Liquid Water Does Not Pass Through Stucco

Gapstop Some “Experts” say Stucco allows water to pass through because “stucco is a sponge”. They are wrong….. The Truth? Stucco that is properly mixed (per ASTM standards) will allow moisture to be absorbed... very slowly into the matrix - but “liquid water” will not pass through and will not “leak” out the opposite side

Gapstop Where’s The Proof that stucco doesn’t leak? The Cylinder The Blocks

Gapstop The Cylinder A plastic cylinder is fabricated with 7/8” of conventional stucco installed as seen above. Only the edges of the stucco are sealed to prevent water passing in the gap between the stucco and plastic. The Stucco is the same sand and cement blend that is used universally in the industry.

Gapstop The stucco cylinder is filled with water. If stucco leaks, the water should flow out the bottom of the cylinder. Tests have shown that despite the uninterrupted presence of water, for periods in excess of 18 months, no water passes through the stucco. Stucco does not leak!

Gapstop The Blocks Homes in the coastal areas of Florida are built with concrete block stem walls, for two purposes.: One: protection from termite damage and rot, and two: structural support for exposure to hurricanes. A recurring problem in Florida was that many times water was able to penetrate the block through voids and gaps in the system, especially when driven by wind. A test was commissioned by Florida Concrete & Products Association and the NCMA Education and Research Foundation to determine what would happen if the concrete blocks were coated with stucco and how that would impact the penetration of water, especially when driven by strong winds. They expected an improvement, but were pleasantly surprised with the findings.

The Blocks THE PURPOSE OF TEST The purpose was to test for water penetration resistance of concrete masonry walls with varying thicknesses of stucco and various levels of workmanship of both the masonry and the stucco. This involved testing wall samples that were built 4 ft wide and 6 ft tall. The project was broken into two phases utilizing different wind pressures: Phase I utilizing pressures representative of 62 and 110 mph winds Phase II utilizing pressures representative of 155 and 180 mph winds

The Blocks Coating for the Test The Blocks were coated with stucco of varying thicknesses (1/8”. 1/4 “ & 1/2”) In preparation for testing

The Blocks Test Procedure The walls were tested at 40.8 gallons per hour at wind velocity of approximately 62 mph for 4 hours. Then at 110 MPH for another 24 hours.

The Blocks RESULTS OF TESTING After 28 hours of testing, there was NO penetration of the block walls or dampness on the opposite surfaces of the walls. This was true even with the block walls that were coated with only 1/8” of stucco. This is compelling evidence that: STUCCO DOES NOT LEAK!

So if stucco doesn’t leak, why do stucco buildings leak? Windows Can Leak (even doors sometimes) –Problems caused by design or manufacturing defects in the windows –Penetrations in the stucco including structural, plumbing and electrical The “Gap” Associated with Penetrations Can Leak –The Penetrations Include: Windows, Wood Beams, Plumbing Protrusions, Stucco Reveals, Expansion Joints, Electrical Boxes, etc.

Gapstop Let’s talk about “The Gap” What Does It Look Like?

Gapstop Here’s A Gap (Between Window and Stucco)

Gapstop But there’s always flashing and caulking for water control when the windows are installed, right? Doesn’t that stop the water?

Gapstop Traditional Flashings Sometimes Don’t Get The Job Done When Water Gets by “the Gap” Because: Sometimes flashings are not properly installed Sometimes water gets by flashing because of strong wind Sometimes water gets by because of “capillary action” Sometimes these forces can cause water to “go uphill”

Gapstop A shockingly high percentage of leaks in stucco buildings that are attributed to windows and stucco are in reality, breaches of “The Gap”

Gapstop The Gap in Windows Can Grow Due to Temperature Variations Windows Installed in Stucco Buildings Will Expand and Contract Differently Than The Stucco (The Stucco Barely Moves -The Window Can Move Significantly) All Windows Do This, But The Differential With Vinyl Windows Is Even More Pronounced The Larger the Window the Greater the Effect

An 8 Ft. Wide Vinyl Window Installed in 100° F Will Be 3/16” Smaller at 30°F (Opening the Gap)! The Result Is Significantly Greater Odds of Water Penetration Through the Gap

So How Do You Seal the Gap? Enter: Gapstop Weather Gasket

Gapstop

Gapstop Is a Revolutionary, Proprietary “Weather Gasket” Designed to Seal The Gap Resulting from Penetrations In Stucco Buildings… This Is Not Speculation It’s Good Science! Gapstop Accomplishes This By Its Robust Bond To The Item That Penetrates (Window, etc.), While Also Being Fully Embedded In The Stucco. The Design Allows The Gasket To Easily Expand And Contract and Maintain Its Seal Even With Substantial Expansion and Contraction of Large Vinyl Windows

How is Gapstop Bonded To The Penetration? Gapstop Incorporates 3M VHB (“Very High Bond”) Acrylic Foam Tape. Once materials are joined with 3M™ VHB™ Tape a virtually indestructible “weld” is created High-strength bonding tape is a proven alternative to screws, rivets, welds and other forms of mechanical fasteners. Unlike screws or rivets – which join materials at a single point – high-strength bonding tape permanently adheres one substrate to another while spreading the stress load across the entire length of the joint. Skyscrapers all rely on high-strength bonding tape to complete one or more steps in the assembly process.

Gapstop With Gapstop firmly embedded in the Stucco, no water can enter the gap…….period. So: In a stucco building, if the windows are sound, and the gap is sealed with Gapstop, no water will enter the system because as we all now know…... stucco does not leak.

Gapstop Gapstop has been awarded a Patent US Patent #

Gapstop is Green! Every Gap From Every Penetration In Every Building is a Potential Source for Air Infiltration Gapstop Keeps Out Water… Gapstop Keeps Out Air

So Where’s the Proof that the Gapstop Gasket Works?

Proof Item #1: Another Cylinder Test Two identical 8” clear plastic cylinders receive 7/8” conventional stucco With standard cement /sand ratio. Prior to the installation of the stucco, One of the cylinder s receives the Gapstop gasket, centered in the area of stucco. The edges where the stucco meets the cylinder are not caulked.

The Cylinder with the Gasket is installed utilizing 3M High Strength Bonding Tape - the same bonding method used for project construction installations

Water is poured into cylinder that has no gasket

In less than one minute, water begins leaking through the gap between the stucco and the cylinder

Water is then poured into cylinder with gasket

After several days, NO WATER penetrated the stucco, NO WATER THROUGH THE GAP

Proof Item#2: Test Wall

Test Wall A Test Wall is constructed to examine the performance of the Gapstop Gasket. The view below is the back side of the panel. Tyvek paper is visible. It was constructed with identical installations of windows, electrical boxes and beam protrusions. From this view, the items on the right are installed with the Gapstop gasket. There is no gasket on the items on the left.

The front side of the Test Panel has received scratch and brown stucco Coat over lath and Tyvek building paper. A Spray Rig is set up to water test the Panel utilizing the standard ASTM Water Test methodology.

The front of the Panel is sprayed for approximately 40 minutes inundating the panel with the equivalent of over 6” of rain

Following the test, building paper is removed. The first Panels removed show substantial water intrusion on the side without Gaskets

The test results clearly show very substantial water intrusion on the side of the panel without Gasket protection, thus exhibiting the high Performance of the Gapstop Gasket System

A blowup of the non-gasketed area shows the magnitude of the water intrusion

Even If The Building Paper Prevented This Moisture From Entering The Building, It Is Now a Home For Mold Growth As Well As A Source For Efflorescence Migrating To Exterior Wall Face!

Gapstop Gapstop Is the Solution to the Gap Problem. Gapstop Has A Powerful Patent Gapstop Is Easy to Install Gapstop Is Not Prohibitively Expensive Gapstop Stops Water in Its Tracks -Even When Driven by High Wind No Water… No Leaks, Mold or Lawyers!