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WHAT IS MUNDIC?
Mundic is also known as pyrite
or iron pyrites and was sometimes found in Cornish tin and copper
mines. |
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When the tin and copper was extracted
so was mine waste in the form of aggregate.
Aggregate a mixture of stone and sand
is used with cement and water to make concrete.
Mundic is often used to describe concrete and concrete
blocks made with materials from mines.
A BRIEF HISTORY
It all started many years ago when it was discovered
in the Cornish Mining Areas that material from these activities used
in housing construction was beginning to show signs of deterioration
leading to undoubted Unsoundness.
This was acceptable as far as it went and the introduction
of test of samples of the concrete from which this mine waste was made
confirmed that the property question did have problems
Over the years it was realised that Mortgage lenders
were putting themselves at risk by not requiring testing before lending
on a property known to have been built from mine waste and eventually
though the cooperation of the Government agency known as the Building
Research Establishment in Watford, Herts. And the Royal institute of
Chartered Surveyors a scheme was devised to unify the testing and in
1994 the Compulsory Testing was begun where mine waste was suspected
of being involved.
TESTING
The testing was comprised of two parts, the initial
test being able to determine if the concrete was Sound (Class A) or
Unsound (Class C) Undetermined results needed a further test to establish
that the concrete was acceptable class A/B or unacceptable (Class B)
The latter class is that which has caused so much contention as the
current opinion is "Sound but containing too much deleterious material
to be regarded as secure for the term of the mortgage".
Therefore, class B has been placed out on a limb requiring
the term of a mortgage (usually 25 year) to determine if the classification
was justified. If it was not then it puts it outside the 6-year limit
for restitution by legal means .
