Severity Code Rating - No Extra Charge with Home Inspection
Newer foundations (1983 and newer) in Connecticut continue to fail due to pyrrhotite in the concrete. Approximately 41 towns in Eastern Connecticut may have homes built with concrete supplied by the JJ Mottes Company. Pyrrhotite in the concrete (Becker Quarry stone aggregate - opened 1983) causes the slow deterioration of the concrete. Concrete cracking starts small and may take more than 10 years to over 30 years to appear. As the concrete deteriorates, it often becomes structurally unsound. The damage is irreversible.
Severity Code Rating - CORE Testing
Home buyers should have the foundation inspected (Severity Code Rating - VISUAL test) and/or a CORE test. We offer to inspect the foundation (Severity Code Rating) at no extra charge with a home inspection.
We provide A VISUAL inspection/report and expert opinion based on education, observation, and prior experience that the foundation’s cracking is due to incompatible materials in the concrete mix (Pyrrhotite). This visual report describes the current condition of the concrete and cannot predict if un-cracked concrete will deteriorate at a later date.
At this time, the only test that can definitively confirm the presence of pyrrhotite is a CORE test.
A CORE test determines the presence, or absence, of pyrrhotite and the percent of pyrrhotite that exists in a sample. It requires drilling out 4 inch diameter cylinders from the concrete which are sent to a lab for analysis. The concrete is plugged after the core samples are removed.
Know Before You Buy