Crumbling Foundations in Connecticut

In Connecticut, we have upwards of 35,000 homes constructed between 1983 and 2015 may have concrete foundations containing pyrrhotite and are at risk of cracking or crumbling. Pyrrhotite is an iron sulfide that can be found naturally in aggregates, or rocky materials such as gravel, sand, or stone that are added to cement to make concrete. When iron sulfides are exposed to oxygen and water, a series of chemical reactions convert the iron sulfides into other compounds. These other compounds are expansive – take up more space than the original iron sulfides – and ultimately lead to cracks or holes in the concrete. The cracking of your foundation starts small and may take more than 10 years to over 30 years to appear.

The concrete originated from the JJ Mottes Concrete Company in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. The mineral is found in a Willington, Connecticut, quarry that no longer supplies aggregate for residential foundations.

If your home has tested positive for pyrrhotite, the only safe and effective method to fix the home is to lift the house off the existing foundation and replace all concrete.