The environmental science program at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut provides a rapid and reliable test for the mineral pyrrhotite, the mineral responsible for the premature crumbling of concrete foundations. Since the spring of 2018, we have tested more than 500 homes, businesses and municipal buildings in both Connecticut and Massachusetts. Our analysis is performed in our labs at the college by Professors Christoph Geiss and Jonathan Gourley and we are actively conducting new research to better understand the issue.
To get started with our test, homeowners should contact Gary Presa of Core Solutions (860)-804-7364. Gary is our primary core contractor however please call us about other core extraction options (e.g. aggregate, cores from other coring contractors). We do require a strict chain of custody to ensure we are testing all of samples using the same protocol. Contact us (see below) if you have any questions about getting cores to us.
Once we receive the cores at Trinity, we test the concrete in our labs and generate a report. For an example report, click here. These reports can be used for testing reimbursement, home disclosures, property tax relief (visual inspections may also be required), and claims to the captive insurance group for Connecticut homeowners that are seeking concrete replacements. These .pdf reports are sent to the purchaser(s) of the test via email.
We periodically expand/update this site with more content and up-to-date data as we learn more from our testing results and student research projects. Stay tuned!
For further information on the pyrrhotite issue and Trinity’s testing method, please check out our page on Frequently Asked Questions.
For further information on Trinity’s Environmental Science program, click here.