Brickwork mortar 1:11 cement to sand mix?

[Scally-Ho]

It's detatched

IMO that works in your favour. A good legal team should be able to have you rehoused while the existing defectively built property is demolished and rebuilt to proper standards. Again IMO, whatever is done to the existing brickwork while it still stands, will not revert it to a proper standard.
What has your building insurance had to say in this matter?
A law firm such as Hart Brown might be able to advise better than me.

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[outmyway]

IMO that works in your favour. A good legal team should be able to have you rehoused while the existing defectively built property is demolished and rebuilt to proper standards. Again IMO, whatever is done to the existing brickwork while it still stands, will not revert it to a proper standard.
What has your building insurance had to say in this matter?
A law firm such as Hart Brown might be able to advise better than me.

Expert Construction Disputes Solicitors | Hart Brown

Do you need expert lawyers for construction disputes? Here at Hart Brown, we can advise on all aspects of construction disputes. More here.

www.hartbrown.co.uk

Thanks for the info and the link.

Its a big decision whether to battle it through the legal process.
I've heard the developers fight these cases hard and throw a lot of legal resources at them.
Although one would like to think with such a weak mortar mix they haven't got a leg to stand on.

 

[noseall]

If it's very crumbly, the I'll lay good odds that the brickwork team used washing up liquid instead of a recognised plasticiser. That horrid practice set a catastrophe waiting to happen sometime in the future.

Nonsense.

I'm in a new build Bellway house,

The mortar up to the first lift is very crumbly.

I've had it tested and lab report was a 1:11 cement to sand mix.

NHBC are only offering to repoint and grind out to 25mm.

Long term what are implications of such a weak mortar mix?

Batched site gear, is rich in additives but light on cement, purely to make it both workable and prolong its working time. Horrendous chemically enhanced stuff.

 

[Scally-Ho]

Thanks for the info and the link.

Its a big decision whether to battle it through the legal process.
I've heard the developers fight these cases hard and throw a lot of legal resources at them.
Although one would like to think with such a weak mortar mix they haven't got a leg to stand on.

Remember that in the Uk every product sold has to be fit for purpose by law. A new build dwelling is obviously NOT fit for purposed when built with substandard brick jointing mortar. I would dearly like to hear Sasha Wass' thoughts about this obvious indefensible case of substandard building because a crime IMO has been committed by allowing a sale to go through.

Sasha Wass KC - 6KBW

Sasha Wass has over 33 years’ experience at the Criminal Bar. She has both defended and prosecuted in numerous cases of complex fraud, international money laundering, murder and serious sexual misconduct. She has a particular interest in cases where scientific and medical evidence is disputed...

6kbw.com

Sasha, my heroine

 

[Scally-Ho]

Nonsense.


Batched site gear, is rich in additives but light on cement, purely to make it both workable and prolong its working time. Horrendous chemically enhanced stuff.

Also 'knocking it up again' grossly weakens the mixture.

 

[noseall]

Also 'knocking it up again' grossly weakens the mixture.

Not necessarily. It all depends how long it has been stood.

Laying onto thirsty bricks can be detrimental to standard S/C mortars. Mortar loves water as do all cement based mixes. The rapid removal or water neglect, will kill any cement based mixes quicker than anything. Keeping things moist and cool (not freezing) is most important for the whole curing process.

 

[Scally-Ho]

Not necessarily. It all depends how long it has been stood.

Laying onto thirsty bricks can be detrimental to standard S/C mortars. Mortar loves water as do all cement based mixes. The rapid removal or water neglect, will kill any cement based mixes quicker than anything. Keeping things moist and cool (not freezing) is most important for the whole curing process.

Adding extra water to make it workable again most certainly reduces its strength when fully cured.

 

[noseall]

Adding extra water to make it workable again most certainly reduces its strength when fully cured.

How can you add water to ANY cement based mixed product that has fully cured?

 

[stuart45]

Some of the really old bricks are highly absorbent, so you need to damp them down before laying. Ideally you need a bit of suction to keep the face work clean without it sucking all the water out before you can get the jointer on it.

 

[Scally-Ho]

How can you add water to ANY cement based mixed product that has fully cured?

Don't you under the written word?

 

[noseall]

Don't you under the written word?

Understand? Yes perfectly.

I ask again - how can you add water to a cement based mix that has fully cured?

 

[stuart45]

I think he means that when the mortar is fully cured it will be weaker because extra water was added during the initial set.

 

[noseall]

I think he means that when the mortar is fully cured it will be weaker because extra water was added during the initial set.

Still nonsense. Adding water to setting (not curing) cement products is far better than letting them prematurely dry out. I have never read such baloney.

 

[Scally-Ho]

Absolute gonads!!

Can I add extra water to mortar if it starts to harden on the spot board, to make it more workable again, or should I throw it away?​

From Blue Circle .. Once the mortar has begun to set, the addition of extra water will not make any difference as the mortar is now non-workable. Even with or without the addition of water, if the set mix is reworked, this will cause major damage to the structure of the mortar. This will in turn seriously affect both the strength and durability properties and so it is thus vital that the mortar is fully placed prior to the setting time.

 

[stuart45]

To be realistic, on hot days the mortar will often be knocked up again. Years ago, the CoW might moan if it was knocked up when close to it's final set, but generally it's done because so much would get dumped if it wasn't.