Environmental Engineer Allenwood, NJ 08720

We see uncontrolled moisture issues in homes as the primary issue driving many of the
homes problems. While many of the moisture issues are not readily visible to the naked
eye. There are clues as to their presence that we should all be more mindful of. These
clues are often just the “tip of the iceberg” regarding the complexity of the water intrusion
issue.
We us many different tools from historic aerials and advanced soil mapping combined with
years of hands on experience in formulating a water intrusion opinion and a
comprehensive remedy.

Assessing Hidden Moisture Intrusion
© GreenWorks Environmental, LLC
This is the underlying thought process we at GreenWorks bring to every job. Our goal is to
bring our clients back from the Tipping Point to establish some environmental normalcy.

• Flat roof combined with multiple pitched roofs
• Flat roofs pose their own unique water intrusion challenges
• Gutters (all discharge to underground pipes (How far from home do you inspect?)
• Chimney – possible water intrusion point
• Adjoining lot to right is a paper street and drainage easement (per tax map)
• Original home was 1930’s construction
• Small putting green in rear yard.
PAUSE FOR QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION

Underground piping is often installed incorrectly and is prone to clogging from a multitude
of items:
•Flat / poorly pitched pipe will not move solids as readily as a 2% pitched pipe
•Clogs from dirt, roof top aggregate, windblown sand, soil fines, organic debris, etc. are
common
•Less common are golf balls. The putting green in the back was a giveaway. 58 balls were
clogiing this underground system.
•Rodents – often get chased in piping and can’t get out. The “Chipmunk Plug” is our
favorite.

Gutters are most often a good starting point and are the easiest to correct. Here’s a
common issue:
•Gutter is holding some water (very common). Algae starts to grow and when water
evaporates algae dries out and forms a matt. When it rains, matt floats to surface and
slides over opening to leader clogging the system.
•Standard 4” gutters often have long runs and 90° bends which often top over

A basement dewatering company took care of Sandy impacts where crawl space was very
clean (visually). Not the following:
•Gas line was submerged and not replaced
•Foundation was spray foamed with closed cell foam product
•TGI Joists and Lam Beam construction.
•No apparent odor.
•Crawl was strangely devoid of duct work where numerous open drop downs were
observed. Owner Builder says all was ok, that’s way system was designed.

Very extensive foaming of the understructure seen throughout the crawl space.
•Interior existing foundation was not foamed on top. Some missed all together.
•Note OSB flange bottom of TGI joists not foamed
•Concrete slab moisture readings at 39% RH

Interior original foundation. Was a type of poured in place structure. Owner Builder
decided to re-use as was structurally sound.
•Note moisture diffusion pattern in the wall.
•Moisture reading over 50% RH on this stretch of foundation wall.

Original pouted foundation salvaged and re-used.
•Note the aggregate mix. Black chunks are coal (an organic food source for micro-
organisms.
•Sea shells, stones, and wood all mixed in with this foundation.

Old pieces of wood framing found embedded in the foundation.
•Probably where the old crawl space hatch was located.
•Note drill with hole corer – we cored some TGI webbing to see if moisture was migrating
up under the foam covered areas.

Closed cell spray foam is often considered permanently attached to just about anything
you spray it on. Not alwys the case with moisture issues:
•Try this tip – tap of the foam over foundation. If it is lifting from moisture penetration it
will have a hollow sound.
•It will still be very hard, but will lift off the wall with ease
•Note the efflorescence and water intruaion pattern underneath

Open duct drop downs were seen throughout the crawl space. Builder says everything was
ok.
•This was primary route of air migration from crawl to main home where HVAC contractor
forgot to install half od the homes duct work.
•GWE called this out numerous times until it was investigated (and quietly corrected)

All underground discharge piping should have minimally an overflow indicator.
•This is what you get from a builder when you call it out and force it to be corrected.
•Don’t worry, we caught this the second and third time we re-inspected.
•Turns out the underground line was clogged with 48 golf balls. Seems the kids had
invented a new version of chip and put where the would chip balls up onto the roof and
then put into the gutter.
•As the underground discharge line did not have a “Catch basin” the balls went down the
line which was flat and ultimately clogged up smaller debris.

The Author shown here on the opposite side of a seemingly inaccessible part of the crawl
space.
•Every corner really should be checked when dealing with moisture issues.
•We do this type of investigation in “pairs” for safety purposes.
•Yes, I had to get really small to get under that beam.

Smart vents have a very detailed manufacturers requirement for installation:
•Adhesives and metal straps are required.
•This installation used neither.
•Simple pressure from your hand popped this vent out of the foundation
•Any deviation form the manufacturers installation specification will void the
manufacturers warranty.
•There is an installation / inspection certification you can receive from SmartVent for
these structures.
•This unit is not an “insulated vent” which does not work well with a conditioned crawl
environment.

Upon walking into this home the place was immaculate. Here’s some observations:
•No strange odors were detected
•A new HVAC system was being installed in the attic where the exisiting sub-slab ducted
system was being abandoned.
•Entire home has a newer tongue & groove oak floor
•The oak floor was heaving and cupping throughout the home (See above picture)
•Suspect moisture intrusion is to blame. But extent of issue is not immediately known

New owners had custom base board installed throughout the entire home. What else do
you see?
•Does anyone see that dark stain coming up through the floor in the hallway?
•That is water staining / suspect biological growth often associated with water intrusion.

It is not uncommon to see sub-slab ducts in this era of home. Looking into the duct often
reals hydrologic tendencies of the home.
•The pile of dirt in this duct is not just “Dirt to be cleaned out of the duct” as described in
the report. This is “soil fines” which accumulates after water leaves / drains out of the
pipe. And this is a lot of dirt which would indicate that a lot of water or frequent water
events flood this pipe.
•Distribution is a cement pipe which is often Tranzite which contains asbestos. Note the
friable ends.

The older metal floor registers often pit and rust when exposed to elevated humidity for a
long time.
•These registers are very rusted which is indicative of extensive water intrusion.

Looking closer we found a rag stuffed in between the duct collar and the soil void on the
other side. Historic attempts to stop water intrusion.
•Rag was the size of a beach towel
•Water comes in to this duct at a slow constant stream (See video – very impressive flow
rate)

The client was able to take this video for GreenWorks as part of diligent hydrology
observations
•It appears that water is migrating under the slab and entering the duct system.
•Sub Slab soils are super saturated which is wicking up into the home via capillary action.
As moisture enters the home elevated humidity is created which is warping the floors.
•What else is going on under these floors.

These floor tiles are often ACM and when in use a very durable and often repel water.
Suspect may be present below wood floor, but why is floor warping?
• Only a licensed asbestos inspector can confirm / deny ACM and only by lab testing.

So what’s going on with this home. Lets get down to the soils making up the property
•Soil mapping shows soils as very limited for dwellings without basements.

Soil mapping is a helpful tool, but should never be relied on without field verification
•Depth to water table
•Depth to impermeable areas
•Soil drainage tendencies
•Soil components

This is a 1930 aerial with today’s parcel data overlaid on top. What do you see?
•Note the agricultural areas / farmed areas (in white)
•Note areas of forest clearing / forest cover
•Note areas not being cleared and compare to soils layer and mapped streams (has
anything been missed / extrapolate the data)
•This is the poorly draining section of a large agricultural operation
•Note the drainage ditches and bermed areas around the PIQ
•Clients home and neighbors sit right in the stream’s tributary headwater area which by
today’s standards would never be allowed to be developed.

A small leak in a water main to the home or within the home can be spotted be inspecting
the meter.
•In this case the meter was at the curb in a small chamber that was flooded.
•No spinning meter, was confirmed by city water worker (lucky he was out that day)
•So where is all the water coming from?

First, it is never a good idea to lay wood flooring on top of concrete due to vapor transport
through concrete.
•In prying up floor boards quickly see spotty moisture staining of wood underside.
•Under Rosin paper see a 5/8th
inch plywood subfloor with even more staining.

As flooring was newer (within past 3 years) moisture had not totally migrated through to
the surface yet.
• But moisture did curl the floor boards
•Trapped moisture of this nature will eventually make its way through to the surface and
when it does, an intense odor often follows.

Interior wall base plate is saturated with water adjoining the floor stain.
•Base plate not pressure treated
•No sill plate gasket used between plate and concrete floor
•Note water wicking up into the wood

In prying up the subfloor, concrete was at 100% moisture with standing water in many
places.
•Note the concrete discoloration
•Note the water penetration stains around the nails
•This entire bedroom floor looked like this where the odor necessitated vapor masks,
ventilation and air-scrubbers

Moisture assessments often involve several moisture sources and are often concealed
requiring an expert
•Call it out as such and add language to protect your self.
•Always suggest an expert be called in.

This client has owned the home for over 30 years and truly thought the moist conditions
of the home was just the way it was supposed to be. An exterminator was concerned
about the moist conditions in the crawl, biodeterioration of wood, delamination of floor
sheathing and suggested giving GreenWorks a call.

The “Trench Drain” is often used as a barrier to surface water flow into the garage area.
Proper maintenance is key to this item working correctly as it is prone to a variety of
“Heavy Debris” which tend to clof these structures sooner than a gutter.

Condensate droplets from the “Dew Point Effect” on the floor joists throughout the crawl
space. These tell us:
•Often a seasonal indication of ventilation challenges where we see this a lot in the hot
summer months as crawls are inherently cool
•See mostly on solid materials
•More porous materials (like subfloor) often just absorbs the moisture and distributes it
leading to biodeterioration

A “White Wash” looking surface growth is a type of fungi attributed to wood “Dry Rot”
where this organism sends out rod like structures (rhizomorphs) all interlocked together
in-search of moisture.

Subsurface conditions are often difficult to assess visually, but you can look for these
obvious “Tells” that could indicate sub-surface problems:
•Perforated corrugated pipe used as a distribution line often clogs with fine roots
•Pitch of the pipe is critically important to not just water flow, but movement of soil fines
that tend to drop out of solution if pipe is not set at a2% pitch.
•Lack of catch basins / Overflow indicators (if pipe is not day-lighted) often is indicative of
poor design and suspect failure.
•Soil type is indicative of poorly or good draining soils. Wetlands here tells us we have
poorly draining soils.

Surficial observations can often detect issues such as:
•Negative slope from the street is a common surface drainage issue for home owners.
•This garage has always flooded after every rain event.
•Bur be careful, with grading issues, simple diversionary structures may require some
tweeking and/or other issues may be at play.

This drainage hump while an inexpensive fix needed to be extended a couple feet in either
direction.
•GWE often re-visits installed solutions after rain events to monitor effectiveness.

Still moisture in garage after channel drain corrected and driveway hump installed and
extended.
•Additional moisture coming from gutter topping over.
•Gutters had to be upgraded to larger 6” size trough and downspouts.

So here’s the house. Good looking colonial structure with garage.
•All gutters piped underground and discharge at the curb
•Sump pumps tied to underground piping and running continuously

Continuous water to the curb is suspect as is the only home on the street doing this
•Lots of neighbor complaints
•Water still flowing to street with pumps turned off
•Sump Pump chambers fill up ¾’s of the way

To right of the home is a storm sewer (which was dry upon inspection)
•Says dumps to local waterway.
•Clues as to local stream presence

Rear yard relatively flat where all gutter piping goes underground
•Many large diameter trees were removed as part of reconstruction
•Adjoining trees indicative of wetland conditions being present
•Sod is “squishy” for weeks after rain
•Grading is relatively flat
•Concrete apron around foundation is a nice touch.
•Windo wells each have drains in them

Client picture showing water intrusion off rear wall
•Note: replaced / patched sheetrock 1/3 up the wall.
•Water is actually penetrating the wall not at the floor but up from the floor several feet

Client phot of second point of water intrusion
•This point is an interior central wall
•Sheet rock inside the closet was covered over with another piece of sheetrock by builder
to hide staining.
•Visible discoloration of sheetrock, wood and trim was apparent.
•Damp / musty odor

This is a look at the 2012 aerial with parcel mapping, streets, soils, wetlands, stream layers
on top
•This type of environmental data review is very helpful in establishing existing conditions
of an area prior to development and today’s enviro regulations
•The data may or may not be helpful in assessing site conditions
•Data is SUBJECT TO INVESTIGATOR INTERPRETATION
•Always remember, data is worth what you paid for it

This is the same parcel data with today’s development overlaid on top of a 1930 aerial.
What do you see?
•Note the agricultural areas / farmed areas
•Note areas of forest clearing
•Note areas not being cleared and compare to last known location of the stream
•This is a headwater environment where the headwaters of the map stream have been
filled.
•Clients home and most of neighborhood sits right in the stream’s headwater area which
by today’s standards would never be allowed to be developed.

If you know how to read Topo, this is very helpful in determining surface sheet flow on a
site before you get there.
•Low areas and ridges can be seen with topo

Every County has soil maps, but they tend to be very limited with regards to land
development. There are national sources.
•We use the NCRS / USDA Web Soil Survey:
http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm
•This is some of the most advanced soil science available to the General Public
•Soil types are characterized by land development capabilities.
•In historically developed neighborhoods, this soil data allows us to see what a new
development might encounter.
•Unfortunately, most municipalities do not look at developed neighborhoods this way.
•They are more interested in ratables and not in enforcing State enviro standards.
•THIS EXHIBIT SHOWS DWELLINGS WITH BASEMENTS IS NOT RECOMMENDED!
•This is an important clue in what is going on with this site

Soil types with details in support of development recommendations. This is some very
good data about soil use that helps paint the picture of what is going on.
•Different soil characteristics can impact land development in huge ways
•Depth to Saturation Zone
•Depth to Thick Cemented Pan
•Flooding

Many times a simple soil boring is all that is needed to confirm the public soil data. Here’s
a break down of what we see in the dirt:
•The upper 2.5’ of red to brownish dirt is fill material
•The middle dark layer is a heavy silty / clay poorly draining soil that is considered “Hydric”
or Wetland soils
•The lower gray area is the area of Redox
•The amount of fill placed on this site can vary where numerous soil borings would be
needed to characterize what is going on underground.

This is a classic example of super saturated / poorly draining soils
•Poorly draining soils are difficult to manage, especially when they are underground as the
create a “perched water table”
•When punching through this layer, if proper precaustions are not taken, the perched
water will flow into your hole (our basement)

It is clear when holding the soil in your hand that drainage is challenging at this site.

Environmental Engineer Allenwood, NJ 08720

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