Performance of Source Drainage External Insulation Finish System at the Window/Wall Junction

This paper presents the results of research conducted to exam ine the efficiency of critical details in source drainage EIFS. The research was prompted by a BOCA1 model code change requiring that the interface between dissimilar materials be tested to demonstrate that the details resist water pene tration into wall assemblies. The objective of the research was twofold: (1) to satisfy the BOCA requirements, and (2) to examine the effectiveness of source drainage as a method of water management. The experimental simulations in volved much more severe conditions than the BOCA requirements to assess source drainage. The research evaluated a number of construction details for rain penetration resistance under static pressure differences up to 1 kPa (20.9 psf) and dynamic pressure variations at wind speeds up to 33.5 m/s (121 km/h) (75 mph). The re sults show that traditional techniques based on source drainage, such as window flashing, are effective as a means for managing water at the window/wall junc tions of the EIFS cladding systems. This paper describes the test procedure and focuses on window details.