healthy
Vermin, insect, mold and fungus resistant
Construction using the am-cor™ system provides superior resistance to insects, vermin, mold and fungus, creating a healthy, allergen-free environment.
The inorganic materials used in the am-cor™ system provide no nutrients to attract and support insects and vermin. Steel and cement surfaces do not create viable nesting areas, and it is difficult for insects and vermin to penetrate steel studs in order to move between cavities.
Termites and carpenter ants do billions of dollars damage to real estate every year. Termites seek residual sugar in wood based materials, and ants eat through the structural cellulose component of wood for shelter.
Rats and mice not only burrow into a building's structure but also spread disease, and in some cases actually bite residents. Suburban and city neighborhoods constitute a breeding ground for vermin that can move easily from masonry basements through wooden wall and ceiling cavities into living areas.
Poison resistant termite strains have developed the ability to burrow through masonry in order to attack wood in a structure. They will sometimes go four stories up through parking garage levels to reach wooden framed apartments above. In parts of Florida, for example, many new homes have fixtures on the exterior wall where a technician can pump insecticide through tiny straws into each wall cavity in the home to counter termites. This expensive procedure is done on a regular basis and becomes a required ongoing expense to the owner, creating potential interior air pollution and environmental degradation.
Over the entire life of a building, treatment for infestations of insects and vermin is even more costly, time consuming, and possibly dangerous. Pesticides in the surrounding soil, walls, and structure of a building can pose long term health risks for families and other occupants. Use of the am-cor™ system ensures termites, ants, mice and other vermin will never infest the structure of your building.
Mold and fungus are major problems all over the world, but especially in humid climates such as the southern and eastern U.S. Beyond being a nuisance, they cause property damage, structural instability, and many health issues. Reproducing via tiny floating spores, mold and fungus grow on moisture-laden wood, paper, carpet, and foods.
Deterioration of building interiors and exteriors in moist climates is a major concern. Plywood, chipboard, or gypsum (drywall/sheetrock) as currently used, will deteriorate due to absorption of moisture. These materials provide a substrate for the spores and are hygroscopic; they absorb moisture. This moisture affects the assembly in several ways.
Although deterioration shows itself in different places, it starts within the wall cavity, limiting the usable life of the building. Mildew, fungus, and mold will form inside the wall cavity where moist air is trapped. These literally devour the substrate over a period of time, entrap additional moisture, and compromise the structure. Over the longer term, moisture in the cavity will cause the substrate to swell and part from the fasteners holding it to the frame. This motion causes minuscule cracks and pores to form in the plastic stucco, siding, wood, drywall, etc. Such cracks and pores admit additional moisture, accelerating movement of the substrate and further deterioration of the surface.
The cracks and pores are unsightly, but the most important damage is more insidious, and invisible to cursory inspection. As the substrate pulls away from its fastenings over a period of time, rigidity of the framework is compromised, making the entire structure susceptible to racking and movement during periods of stress, such as during windstorms. Successive storms will continue to force movement, and accelerate eventual detachment of the substrate from its frame, exposing the structure itself to failure. Since tropical storms involve driving rain, penetration of moisture is accelerated during the periods of stress, increasing chances that failure will occur during such a storm.
Dew formation inside a wall assembly requires 3 things:
Formation of moisture inside structural assemblies can have disastrous effects, such as rot and deterioration of wooden members from bacterial, fungal, and mildew growth. Rot allows inroads of vermin and insects into the wood members, causing further deterioration and structural compromise.
Breathing of the exterior surface is essential to the longevity of any structure. Plastic based cement coatings and plastic based house wraps inhibit movement of moisture through the sheathing and allow warm moist air from the interior to reside in wall cavities. Amcorite™ thin cement surfaces breathe; that is, they allow water vapor to slowly pass through their 5/8” to 3/4” thickness, equalizing the wall cavity and the exterior moisture content, so dew cannot form inside cavities.
Even though metal is a better conductor of energy than wood, the light-weight metal studs used in an am-cor™ structure are made of such thin material that their energy transfer is less than that of a typical 2” wooden stud or rafter. With sprayed-in Icynene insulation which is recommended for am-cor™ structures, the dew point is located at the exterior surface, where the natural breathing of the thin cement surface allows equalization of air moisture content, thus eliminating condensation inside the wall cavity.
am-cor™ employs a patented composite design of steel and cement that inhibits moisture formation within wall cavities. Exterior surfaces of am-cor buildings consist of a continuous ferrocement skin applied to galvanized expanded carbon steel sheathing, which in turn is fastened in turn to a light weight galvanized steel framework. No hygroscopic substrate is present in the am-cor™ system. The bond between the cement and its steel reinforcement creates an extremely rigid structure completely adhered to the steel framework. Delamination, deterioration, and subsequent health issues due to moisture are not an issue, because am-cor provides no substrate for mold, mildew, or fungus.
VERMIN & INSECT RESISTANCE
The inorganic materials used in the am-cor™ system provide no nutrients to attract and support insects and vermin. Steel and cement surfaces do not create viable nesting areas, and it is difficult for insects and vermin to penetrate steel studs in order to move between cavities.
Termites and carpenter ants do billions of dollars damage to real estate every year. Termites seek residual sugar in wood based materials, and ants eat through the structural cellulose component of wood for shelter.
Rats and mice not only burrow into a building's structure but also spread disease, and in some cases actually bite residents. Suburban and city neighborhoods constitute a breeding ground for vermin that can move easily from masonry basements through wooden wall and ceiling cavities into living areas.
Poison resistant termite strains have developed the ability to burrow through masonry in order to attack wood in a structure. They will sometimes go four stories up through parking garage levels to reach wooden framed apartments above. In parts of Florida, for example, many new homes have fixtures on the exterior wall where a technician can pump insecticide through tiny straws into each wall cavity in the home to counter termites. This expensive procedure is done on a regular basis and becomes a required ongoing expense to the owner, creating potential interior air pollution and environmental degradation.
Over the entire life of a building, treatment for infestations of insects and vermin is even more costly, time consuming, and possibly dangerous. Pesticides in the surrounding soil, walls, and structure of a building can pose long term health risks for families and other occupants. Use of the am-cor™ system ensures termites, ants, mice and other vermin will never infest the structure of your building.
MOLD & FUNGUS RESISTANCE
Mold and fungus are major problems all over the world, but especially in humid climates such as the southern and eastern U.S. Beyond being a nuisance, they cause property damage, structural instability, and many health issues. Reproducing via tiny floating spores, mold and fungus grow on moisture-laden wood, paper, carpet, and foods.
Deterioration of building interiors and exteriors in moist climates is a major concern. Plywood, chipboard, or gypsum (drywall/sheetrock) as currently used, will deteriorate due to absorption of moisture. These materials provide a substrate for the spores and are hygroscopic; they absorb moisture. This moisture affects the assembly in several ways.
Although deterioration shows itself in different places, it starts within the wall cavity, limiting the usable life of the building. Mildew, fungus, and mold will form inside the wall cavity where moist air is trapped. These literally devour the substrate over a period of time, entrap additional moisture, and compromise the structure. Over the longer term, moisture in the cavity will cause the substrate to swell and part from the fasteners holding it to the frame. This motion causes minuscule cracks and pores to form in the plastic stucco, siding, wood, drywall, etc. Such cracks and pores admit additional moisture, accelerating movement of the substrate and further deterioration of the surface.
The cracks and pores are unsightly, but the most important damage is more insidious, and invisible to cursory inspection. As the substrate pulls away from its fastenings over a period of time, rigidity of the framework is compromised, making the entire structure susceptible to racking and movement during periods of stress, such as during windstorms. Successive storms will continue to force movement, and accelerate eventual detachment of the substrate from its frame, exposing the structure itself to failure. Since tropical storms involve driving rain, penetration of moisture is accelerated during the periods of stress, increasing chances that failure will occur during such a storm.
Dew formation inside a wall assembly requires 3 things:
- presence of moisture laden air
- presence of descending temperature at an available surface
- moisture trapped within the assembly
Formation of moisture inside structural assemblies can have disastrous effects, such as rot and deterioration of wooden members from bacterial, fungal, and mildew growth. Rot allows inroads of vermin and insects into the wood members, causing further deterioration and structural compromise.
Breathing of the exterior surface is essential to the longevity of any structure. Plastic based cement coatings and plastic based house wraps inhibit movement of moisture through the sheathing and allow warm moist air from the interior to reside in wall cavities. Amcorite™ thin cement surfaces breathe; that is, they allow water vapor to slowly pass through their 5/8” to 3/4” thickness, equalizing the wall cavity and the exterior moisture content, so dew cannot form inside cavities.
Even though metal is a better conductor of energy than wood, the light-weight metal studs used in an am-cor™ structure are made of such thin material that their energy transfer is less than that of a typical 2” wooden stud or rafter. With sprayed-in Icynene insulation which is recommended for am-cor™ structures, the dew point is located at the exterior surface, where the natural breathing of the thin cement surface allows equalization of air moisture content, thus eliminating condensation inside the wall cavity.
am-cor™ employs a patented composite design of steel and cement that inhibits moisture formation within wall cavities. Exterior surfaces of am-cor buildings consist of a continuous ferrocement skin applied to galvanized expanded carbon steel sheathing, which in turn is fastened in turn to a light weight galvanized steel framework. No hygroscopic substrate is present in the am-cor™ system. The bond between the cement and its steel reinforcement creates an extremely rigid structure completely adhered to the steel framework. Delamination, deterioration, and subsequent health issues due to moisture are not an issue, because am-cor provides no substrate for mold, mildew, or fungus.
Modified 2005-11-02