{"id":4625,"date":"2018-06-01T14:59:01","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T18:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/ebuckhor\/?page_id=4625"},"modified":"2018-09-27T13:54:29","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T17:54:29","slug":"helping-connecticut-homeowners","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring2018\/features\/helping-connecticut-homeowners\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Connecticut Homeowners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trinity scientists and students address crumbling concrete foundations<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Andrew J. Concatelli<\/em><\/p>\n

Is that growing crack along the basement wall the result of water damage or the start of something much, much worse?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>For the past several years, homeowners across northeastern Connecticut have been caught up in the unfolding crisis of concrete foundations crumbling to pieces, causing homes with the telltale maplike cracking patterns on their basement walls to slowly collapse. The culprit is concrete with high concentrations of the mineral pyrrhotite [PEER-row-tight], which has proven difficult to detect in concrete core samples.<\/p>\n

According to Tim Heim, founder of the grassroots organization Connecticut Coalition against Crumbling Basements (CCACB), \u201cUp to 33,000 homes could have the problem. We\u2019ve got to test these homes and find out what the scope of the problem is.\u201d There is no way to repair the crumbling concrete; the only remedy is to replace the entire foundation, which could cost more than the home is worth and often is not covered by insurance.<\/p>\n

Working with the CCACB, faculty members in Trinity College\u2019s Environmental Science Program have developed more affordable and definitive tests for pyrrhotite to benefit homeowners whose foundations are showing signs of deterioration or those whose homes may be at risk.<\/p>\n

\"Gourley<\/a>

Jonathan Gourley, right, senior lecturer and laboratory coordinator in the Environmental Science Program, shows a core sample to Sam March ’21.<\/p><\/div>\n

Jonathan Gourley, senior lecturer and laboratory coordinator in the Environmental Science Program, lives in the small town of Bolton, Connecticut, which is among those with houses that have crumbling foundations. After friends and neighbors who knew of his expertise in geology asked him about his knowledge of testing for the notorious pyrrhotite, Gourley took the question to his colleague, Professor of Environmental Science and Physics Christoph Geiss, who conducts research in geophysics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to test for pyrrhotite in concrete with regular geological methods,\u201d says Geiss, who also serves as director of Trinity\u2019s Environmental Science Program. \u201cIn the concrete, there\u2019s maybe a half a percent of pyrrhotite, so you\u2019re looking for a needle in a haystack.\u201d<\/p>\n

But then came the lightbulb moment or, rather, the magnet moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cPyrrhotite is magnetic,\u201d Geiss says. Gourley and Geiss decided to test concrete samples that they knew contained pyrrhotite and samples that did not, as well as to compare the magnetic measurements of the samples at different temperatures. Geiss explains that a normal concrete sample becomes nonmagnetic at 580 degrees, but pyrrhotite becomes nonmagnetic at 325 degrees, producing a specific result that can be used to recognize the mineral\u2019s presence. \u201cThe application is new,\u201d Geiss notes, \u201cbut the technique is not.\u201d The result, Gourley says, is that \u201cwe have created a test that is more reliable for homeowners, and we can do it at a lower cost than what engineers were charging.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"student<\/a>

Lexi Zanger \u201919, The Suisman Foundation Scholar and Joseph V. Getlin Scholar, crushes concrete to ready it for testing.<\/p><\/div>\n

With homeowners facing so many challenges and costs, Heim says he is grateful to the Trinity scientists for developing this less expensive method of testing for pyrrhotite. Through the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG)\u2014a federation of towns in the Hartford region\u2014homeowners can be reimbursed for 50 percent of the testing costs up to $2,000, Heim says. \u201cWith the CCACB and Trinity in their partnership doing coring samples and testing, the cost will be $1,900, which is below that maximum,\u201d he says. \u201cBefore this, the testing could cost $3,000 or $4,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gourley says that another tool used in their analysis looks at the amount of sulfur in a sample. \u201cPyrrhotite is not only magnetic, it\u2019s an iron sulfide, so it contains iron and sulfur,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Geiss notes that it\u2019s the sulfur that does the chemical damage in the sample. \u201cBecause the sulfur turns into sulfate and the sulfate makes all sorts of minerals that expand and are a little bit bigger than the original ones, it breaks the concrete apart from the inside out,\u201d he says. This is called \u201cinternal sulfate attack,\u201d or ISA, and it\u2019s what creates the signature maplike cracking pattern in the concrete.<\/p>\n

\"crushing<\/a>

Sam March \u201921 crushes concrete to ready it for testing.<\/p><\/div>\n

Homes currently showing signs of ISA are largely concentrated in northeastern Connecticut around a quarry in the town of Willington where the pyrrhotite-rich pieces of rocks used in the concrete mixture originated. Heim says homes built from the early 1980s up to last year could be impacted and notes that homeowners would want their foundations tested for pyrrhotite for many reasons. If the concrete is already showing signs of cracking, a positive result can make the homeowner eligible for grants funded by the state government. Concrete with pyrrhotite could take years to show signs of cracking, so a negative result can bring peace of mind to homeowners and reassurance about the longevity of the foundation to banks, real estate agents, home inspectors, and insurance companies.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy house was built in the early 1990s, and I am a victim,\u201d Heim says. \u201cMy basement walls get worse every single day. The homeowners here did nothing wrong to cause this, and when you\u2019re told that everything you\u2019ve worked for is now worthless, it\u2019s devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CCACB manages the collection of the samples, and Trinity faculty and students complete the testing and provide written reports. \u201cWe involve our students in everything,\u201d Gourley says. \u201cThey do fieldwork, collect samples, and contribute to the research.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"preparing<\/a>

Professor of Environmental Science and Physics Christoph Geiss watches as Joe Ruggiero \u201919 prepares a concrete sample for a magnetic measurement.<\/p><\/div>\n

Joe Ruggiero \u201919, an environmental science major and history minor from Manchester, Connecticut, has been working to determine the lowest concentration of pyrrhotite that will affect concrete. \u201cSeveral of my neighbors have experienced extensive cracking, so I have seen the financial burden that this issue carries,\u201d Ruggiero says. \u201cI believe creating a cost-saving, comprehensive guide for homeowners will ultimately reduce the stress on families and lead to better legislation protecting homeowners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam March \u201921, an environmental science major from Glastonbury, Connecticut, is gathering rock samples from across the state to test their pyrrhotite and sulfur concentrations. \u201cThis project motivates me because it\u2019s applicable to the real world,\u201d March says. \u201cI believe that as this research progresses, we can begin to explain why basements are crumbling and eventually prevent this from happening in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geiss and Gourley estimate that with the help from students, Trinity can process five to 10 concrete foundation core samples per week. Geiss says, \u201cIt\u2019s a perfect combination of scholarship, teaching, and outreach to the community because we are providing a service that did not exist and that may help people quite significantly.\u201d They hope to teach their methods to engineering firms and inspectors who will continue to run these tests.<\/p>\n

The two attended a community forum in Ellington, Connecticut, last November when they told concerned homeowners about their testing methods and the new partnership between Trinity and CCACB. Heim says, \u201cIt\u2019s been an honor working with Trinity and with Christoph and Jonathan. They have such passion in creating a more affordable means of testing so that the victims are not victimized again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Connecticut\u2019s crumbling concrete foundation problem and the potential financial help for those affected continue to make headlines in the Hartford area. The number of homes involved, the funding available for homeowners, and other facets of the story may have changed by the time you read this.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trinity scientists and students address crumbling concrete foundations By Andrew J. Concatelli Is that growing crack along the basement wall the result of water damage or the start of something much, much worse? For the past several years, homeowners across northeastern Connecticut have been caught up in the unfolding crisis of concrete foundations crumbling to … <\/p>\n

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