Random bits of wood hammered into mortar

Matthew14 · 1 Sep 2020

Hello,
my property was built in 1900 an end terrace, I have seen some penetrating damp patches on my inside wall and checked outside and found random bits of wood hammered into the wall between the mortar. Some has rotted to almost nothing. I am planning on removing this wood and filling it in correctly as well as sorting some of the brick faces and pointing out, just wondering if anyone has any idea why someone has done it in the first place and am I okay to fill these in? I will supply some pictures of a few of these. They are about a 4ft up from the ground.

Thanks

chris1982 · 1 Sep 2020

Before there were wall plugs people used wood in mortar to have something to put a screw into.

stuart45 · 1 Sep 2020

Victorian rawl plugs, take them out.

KenGMac · 1 Sep 2020

Matthew14, good evening.

These random [very] old bits of wood were installed to allow a Screw or similar to [possibly] fix a trellace, or similar, they were also used to fix gate posts and fence posts.

In effect a fore runner of Rawlplugs.

No problem to remove them and fill.

Ken.

JohnD · 1 Sep 2020

It's surprising that enough water gets in to show inside.

Some of the bricks are badly spalled.

Is there a source of water such as a spilling gutter above?

tony1851 · 1 Sep 2020

Often used for fixing cast iron soil pipes and rainwater pipes.

^woody^ · 1 Sep 2020

stuart45 said:
Victorian rawl plugs, take them out.

What for, an Italian, Chinese, Indian?

ted456 · 1 Sep 2020

The traditional and obvious name is "wood plugs".
Larger wood plugs were used for fixing skirtings - always remove the low level interior plugs: they are a wood rot risk.

Hardwood, wood plugs are still used in say Conservation work - they are shaped with an axe and driven in with the back of the axe.
There's an large terminology for axes, often using conflicting names - not surprising maybe when the axe is probably peoplekind's very first tool.

Matthew14 · 1 Sep 2020

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking these were old fashioned rawl plugs but wasn't sure. There doesn't seem to be any source of water other than rain. The roof slopes to the front and back of my property and the damp patch inside is on the side wall so no dripping guttering or anything. The patch inside is directly matching these old rawl plugs. When it rains the patch comes through darker. No rain it disappears. I'll add a picture of the patch. It's never got bigger. My living room has been knocked through to the dining room and its coming through on what's left of the knocked out wall. (Not sure of the name of little bit of the wall that's left) on the picture the wall to the left is to the outside.
There is 2 types of brick on the wall. The bottom 15 layers of bricks are a different colour and have worn so much more than the ones above, they seem to still be in good condition red bricks above and are the same bricks as the front, just the bottom of the side wall has the bad worn bricks. So thankfully it's not all the bricks I need to sort just the lower reachable ones.

Thanks guys

KenGMac · 1 Sep 2020

ted456 said:
"wood plugs".

Other name, at least up here is a "Dook"

Have heard of "Billgate" ? as well.

Ken.

ted456 · 1 Sep 2020

"that little bit of wall" is a Nib or a brick nib.

Does this knock-thru wall stay an interior wall as it rises up to the loft or does it change to an external wall above?
Is the wall solid plastered or D&D'ed?
Any damp signs on the other side of the nib?
Is either floor a solid floor?

Matthew14 · 1 Sep 2020

I'll post a bit of a better view. Above the removed wall upstairs is another full solid brick interior wall. It is a solid plastered on the nib. No signs of damp on the other side of the nib just that one patch. In the uploaded image the pictures on the wall are on the exterior wall where the wooden plugs are.

ted456 · 1 Sep 2020

Please post pics showing the exterior elevation - ground level to eaves.

Your exterior brickwork is in a bad way with spelched, absorbent brick and perished pointing. Has render been removed off the wall shown?
Hacking out the pointing to 20mm to 25mm and repointing with 4:1 sand & lime would help somewhat.

Matthew14 · 1 Sep 2020

Thanks for your help, I'll post a picture from street view for now if that helps? I can get some better pics tomorrow once it's light. The street view pic has my side wall in the way. But I can get some better ones when it's light. No the wall hasn't ever been rendered. Would getting the wall as it is rendered be a good idea? Or is it better to sort the pointing and bad bricks? In relation to the interior pics they are in the middle of this wall on the ground floor.

ted456 · 1 Sep 2020

Thanks for the pic.
There's been a certain amount of previous pointing - but so often retro-pointing is almost useless: why, because its not hacked out merely scraped out and a thin paste of the wrong(cement) mortar applied.

Someone on site would have to make the render call - and then it might be a case of what render from the variety available?

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Random bits of wood hammered into mortar

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