Asking all contractors: What are your thoughts on the Owens Corning basement system. We have been asked by a few customers about use in their basement. I have mixed emotions about it. The panels go to the ceiling so you have access to the pipes etc. But what are your thoughts about effectiveness in homes with water problems? Would appreciate your insights and opinions!
Troy
That's a great question Chris. I think it depends. I think their basement system is really clever and I see a lot of use cases. I like the fact that its modular and lightweight. Seems easy to install (but we are not installers so I may be wrong) Think a basement that has never been finished and doesn't have any water problems, and is not expecting any. I am sure there are many homes where its a great solution. Here in New Jersey, we keep getting more calls every year from people after a strong rain looking to do remediation (which we don't do) which tells us that water is an increasing problem in basements here. The sewer and drainage systems were built a hundred years ago, and even new ones are built based on the calculations from 50-100 years ago. With the strong rains we have been having, they can be overwhelmed easily. I personally don't see this getting better, but worse. We have started to install french drains outside of homes (which we didn't used to) and put additional sump pumps for people who only have one in their basement (potential for failure and being overwhelmed). So, for us, its not something we would recommend, but as I said it probably has lot of use elsewhere.
Brett - Patch2Paint, New Jersey
Nice to meet everyone! Troy, we have been thinking of the OC system on and off I would say. As a builder we are often in the middle between the owners suggestions and our own suggestions, so sometimes you go with the flow and other times its up to you what to put in. A number of customers have brought this up to us over the years. OC requires the installation by one of their licensed installers, so we have definitely never done it ourselves. So there is some limited knowledge here. However, they sell it as an access panel system for pipes and wall cracks (with insulation) which is great I think. The look has deterred at least some of our customers, along with the fact that its not waterproof (just mold and mildew resistant).
Even if it was waterproof and you get only a few inches, the fact that you have to remove the entire vertical panel to just dry out the bottom seems like a non-starter for us in any floodprone area. (and do you have to call the licensed installer? I dont know, another warning flag for us). Plus, most customers that have looked at it more closely were kind of turned off by the looks. You have these vertical seems every few feet, which does not seem intuitive for a nicely finished space. So I think Owens Corner definitely has applications, but not for us in a space that we want to protect from flood damage. Too many question marks if you ask me.
But we learn something every day so if you ask me in six months from now maybe my answer will be different! LOL
Good luck and stay dry
Chris
I am not a contractor but homeowner in Maine. I just placed an order for Enduraflood, but I actually spoke to a rep from Owens Corning a couple of weeks ago to inquire about their panels. What I learned is that they are not a solution for any type of flooding. He told me the panels do not hold up to water damage. he said that anything over 6 inches you would need to replace all the panels as they would be ruined--- even if I get less than 6 inches I would want to check behind the wall to make sure there was no damage and these seem very cumbersome because of the size to remove. He said he has been doing this for over 20 yrs and if you have a chronic water problem, you should fix the main issue (french drains, etc) and it is slim to none that you will ever get more than 6 inches.... HMMMM....I wish that were the case.
Hope that helps.