What is the issue with older EIFS?
Prior to the late 1990’s, most residential EIFS did not incorporate a moisture barrier behind the system. The older system is now referred to as “Barrier EIFS.” In order to protect the building from moisture intrusion, barrier EIFS must be perfectly sealed at the outside surface. Any moisture that penetrates the outer coating can easily migrate into the walls and cause substantial damage. Unfortunately, nothing is perfect, and the material tends to leak. Sometimes it leaks quite a bit. The weak point of most applications is the penetrations like windows, doors, electric and other utilities, etc. Each of these is a potential leak. Even though most manufacturers withdrew their barrier EIFS from the residential market in the late 1990’s, we still occasionally see these systems being installed today.
