Spalling bricks - quick repairs?

[matt86]

Hello,

I've been asked to look at a house where there is penetrating damp (although minimal its getting worse and the small dehumidifier is collecting a lot of water) The gentleman suffers from emphysema and being in the dining room is not helping his condition. there are condensation issues to that i've already addressed with them.

On the back external wall (either side of patio doors) there are between 10-20 spalled bricks - the pointing job has previously been botched too.

I advised that the best soloution would be to remove and replace damaged bricks and re point the effected area then to water seal.

The couple who own the property have all but told me they are struggling to even pay the mortgage and upkeep yet alone have repairs done.

They have asked if i can do a quick repair to this?

My first instinct is to advise to have a proper repair done as any quick fixes are unlikey top have a long term effect, but overnight thinking about this i wondered if there was a way i could repair the bricks?

Has anybody ever used anything to in effect, fill where the brick has crumbled and then water sealed - would clearing out and just water sealing over the damaged bricks help at all?

Usually im not one to 'botch up' somebody's home but these people geninually seem desperate for a temporary cheap as possible repair. I would do this for limited profit and probably just charge for materials and petrol costs.

 

[TheVictorian]

I have repaired a few in my cellar by raking out any really loose material then filling the recess with a stiff mortar mix and finally using a pointing tool to continue the mortar lines around the repaired area. This has held fine for over a year but has not been exposed to the elements.

A coat of whitewash over the top means it is pretty much an invisible repair now.

 

[joe-90]

What makes you think it's penetrating damp?

 

[matt86]

It probably hard to show you without a picture, but the wall and the pointing is a pretty bad job - its all crumbling out and in parts missing all together - they say the son-in-law (now ex son-in-law) did it a few summers ago. the wet patches internally are all around and where all the missing mortar is.

They showed me a invoice they had last year for £250 to have their gutters cleared as they though this was the problem then - not only did £250 seem excessive to clear some gutters its not helped at all over the last year.

Do you think it could be something different than the water getting this way?

 

[dann09]

Your idea will fail. If not soon, then later. Replace the bricks, it's quicker and more effective.

Do not use any water sealer, it could give added problems.

With respect, perhaps bone up on condensation on here.

Most all, temporary, bodged, botched, cheap jobs end up as expensive call backs.

 

[noseall]

Just spray a drum of silicone fluid over the wall and see what happens!

Re-pointing of old porous bricks, using modern cement mortar, can have a detrimental effect on the masonry. The logic behind it is a strong cement based mortar (as opposed to lime mortar) seals the mortar joint thus leaving the bricks with the only means of escape after rain-water saturation.

I must admit to seeing more than one wall with intact pointing and knackered bricks whereby the bricks have all but eroded away but the pointing is still there.

I do think this has a lot to do with a poor batch of bricks rather than simply the inability for masonry to 'breathe'.

 

[joe-90]

Well I've seen that too nosey, but I'm inclined to believe it is the water in the bricks freezing and popping the front off and then the next layer. The cement mortar being waterproof is immune to this action.

 

[noseall]

Well I've seen that too nosey, but I'm inclined to believe it is the water in the bricks freezing and popping the front off and then the next layer. The cement mortar being waterproof is immune to this action.

Also, with regards to older porous bricks - once the sealing face is lost then the rate of decay accelerates rapidly in the British climate, i.e. freeze/thaw that we experience in our winters.

It is hard not to notice a large degree of salts present with these decaying walls along with the crumbling clay etc.

I am of the opinion that poor kiln firing has a lot to do with it and is reflected in the amount of rejected bricks there are in modern brick making factories when the gas firing is only a little bit off.

People would be astonished at just how many reject bricks are buried in land-fill sites!

 

[matt86]

Thanks for responses.

I decided after taking various bits of advice that i'd advise the couple to save up a little over the 'warmer months' and look to have a proper repair done in the future.

I treated the condensation issues and have offered my advice on prevention and managing it.

I decided that botching/quick or whatever i did wasn't really going to work and if any 'quick' fix was done it would probably take as long to replace the few bricks and would only reflet bad on me regardless of my intentions.