Repairing crumbled mortar between bricks

[chilluk]

We have just moved into a new house and discovered that the previous owner had left the boiler condensate to drip into the external wall - the pipe had been snapped off about half inch inside the external face of the brickwork, and left long enough for the wall to go green. Even our surveyor mistook the issue for something else which I am not best pleased about.

We have had the pipe repaired but are now left with a small surrounding area of mortar that has gone crumbly / completely missing that needs repairing.

How can I best go about this - some is missing quite a way back, and there may even be a spot or two where it's missing all the way through the outer leaf.

I was thinking of a pointing gun to get the mortar into the joints, but was worried about sending some through into the cavity - most of it hasn't gone back that far but there definitely are a few spots where it has.

Also there is a plastic air brick in the affected area.

So :

what mix should I use (or a pre mixed product)
what tools should I use - pointing gun or similar?
or shall I just call in a pro - if so what "sort" of pro am I looking for?!

Thanks

 

[KenGMac]

chilluk, good evening.

Suggest that you go back to your Surveyor and seek recompense from him / her that for starters??? and have the surveyor firm suggest repairs and instruct the repair work???

Why, because the Surveyor missed what should have been an instantly obvious defect which should have been noted in the report??

As for the Condensate itself, it is slightly acidic and as such will have attacked the mortar and probably the bricks [hence the requirement for condensate drains to be plastic, copper will corrode ?]

 

[chilluk]

Hi thanks for that.

Have been onto surveyor. He is hiding behind the fact he recommended heating system inspection. I maintain this is a fabric of building issue and should have been spotted.

Anyway it needs fixing so want to progress that so all suggestion gratefully received. I will chase for recompense when wall is sorted . Cheers

 

[KenGMac]

chilluk, good evening again.

Looks as if your surveyor is attempting to run for the hills???

Invariably the Surveyor works inside the property, then goes outside for his inspection.#

This will mean he has inspected the boiler, seen how new it is [or not] he / She should have seen the Condensate, and high pressure overflow as well as the gas flue [vertical or direct out through the wall Etc. Etc. Etc.]

now once our Surveyor goes outside He / She can easily locate the area of wall where the gas boiler is because of the Flue and the high pressure releaf pipe and most importantly the Condensate pipework.

Guess what? one of the three above simply is not there, but??? there is a hole in the bricks and it is discolored? does one and one make 2?

Just a consideration.?

chase the Surveyor!!!

Ken

 

[chilluk]

Yep I will pursue for some recompense for sure. how do I get this sorted. I'd rather not wait while I have a fight with a 3rd party I just want to fix the issue. Can anyone please advise on that?

Also should I Do anything to neutralise the acidic residue that is there? It's drying out now we have had the pipe reinstated and run properly to a drain.

On the other side is my fight solely with my surveyor or should I approach previous owner via my conveyancers as well?

 

[John D v2.0]

To be honest unless it's the house falling down you'll cause yourself more stress chasing it than the benefit you'll get. A bit of repointing and corrected drainage, sounds pretty ok as survey omissions go. Previous owners won't care, they probably didn't know.
We had a surveyor miss the rear air bricks two were covered by the patio and one was blocked by the conservatory. We didn't make a fuss, just sorted it. As we would have if it had been spotted

 

[chilluk]

Yep that's cool sorry got a bit derailed here. Any ideas on my original question of how to go about fixing it? What mix and what tools best to use?

 

[John D v2.0]

If it's lime, we used sharp and building sand mixed together together with some nhl3.5. But that's because the bricks were really soft and like sponges, and were being destroyed by the wet. The original was lime that was mostly dissolved and bricks loose.
If it's anything tough then 5 to 1 building sand cement would be easier to source, add some admix and use a narrow pointing trowel and a hawk of some description, whatever is easiest for you. Avoid spreading cement on the face of the bricks. Make sure you squeeze it will into the gaps, rake out as necessary.

 

[chilluk]

Sorry should have given more detail - house is about 12 years old so won't be lime mortar. So 5 to 1 mix then? How wet? Current mortar quite sandy it seems altough maybe thats because its been attacked by the acidic condensate Trowel easier/ better than pointing gun do you think? What sort of technique? Should I try and neutralise with something?

 

[John D v2.0]

Ok as with anything minimum water, remember to tool the mortar to give it a good face to deflect the water. Youtube was the place i found the technique. I used a narrow trowel to push it in anda a bucket trowel to hold it, but the are probably better techniques around.

 

[mattylad]

TBH a picture of the damaged area would help better.

 

[^woody^]

Just point the thing up and move on. Lots of threads about repointing.