Will insulation used in a weep hole damage stucco?

Question

I just bought a new home and had a water pipe freezing in the exterior wall to the house. To fix the problem, the contractor put in this liquid insulation in the 'weep hole' at the bottom of the stucco. If there is insulation in the weep hole, used to drain the condenstated water out of the interior of the wall, is it going to cause future problems with the stucco on the wall?

Answer 1

I've been in the business for over 30 years and I've never heard of liquid insulation. Are you referring to the injected foam insulation? Either way, something is not right. Even though the exterior walls have water lines in them, they should be insulated inside the stud cavity. Then the exterior wall is sheathed, a water barrier applied, and the then the stucco finish applied. I'm not a big fan of stucco, but the weep holes are probably part of the design. What you are calling stucco could also be Dryvit, which looks like masonry stucco but is much thinner. They've had major problems with moisture seeping in around windows and doors and not being able to get back out. Thus there was a lot of dry rot. The weep holes are probably an engineering feature to minimize potential dry rot from trapped moisture. I'd call a competent home inspector if it were me. Good luck.

Answer 2

I'm not sure how well stucco over paint will hold up under a pressure washer. Part of it would depend on how rough the original painted stucco surface was, and how well it was prepared for the new layer of stucco. When in doubt about a surface, just start with the pressure washer a couple of feet away and see how well it works on the graffiti. If it's not taking it off, move closer. Keep moving closer until it either takes it off or it starts to take off the stucco - adjust accordingly.

Answer 3

It could unless he filled the entire cavity with the insulation.