Crumbling wall block ? Help please.

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Hello,

apologies if this subject has been covered before - a search threw up no answers.

We have recently had a retaining wall built in our garden. Finished just before Christmas. Yesterday I noticed one of the bricks was leaching bright yellow dye - they are reconstituted stone blocks in a Cotswold shade. Looking closer I found that there is a soft patch in the brick which is crumbly, moist and a very bright yellow. My first reaction is that we have a bad batch of blocks. Have any of you come across anything like this before? I have noticed bright yellow spots on other blocks as well.

We will contact the firm who did the work but would like an idea of what we are dealing with here.

Many thanks.
 
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Are they cladding blocks or blocks suitable for retaining walls (ie constant contact with water)
Also what centres are the weepholes at?
 
Hi.

They have been used as a second skin so to speak. The "retaining" bit of the wall is much larger blocks filled with concrete. Wall is only about three feet tall. The stone blocks form the decorative front wall with a gap between the two skins. The wall is capped with slabs. I can see no weep holes.

We have two other short freestanding single skin walls made of the Cotswold effect bricks and I can see bright yellow spots on them too. Don't want to poke around too much and make matters worse. The soft bit is yellow and like damp powder paint - it is really bright and stained my fingers!

Thank you.
 
Tends to be soluble salts which forms a powdery efflorescence on the external face of a wall (can be green/brown/yellow sometimes white in chalky soils).. if you have no way for water behind the wall to excape and have permiable blockwork then it will seep through over time, water then evaporates and whatever salts your soil contains sticks to your blockwork..

The soft part of the blockwork may be unrelated to the salt efflorescence,.. could be caused by winter freezing.. if the cladding blocks werent made for constant contact with water then they could deteriate.. other possibilties could be chloride attack amongst other things..

Anyways the salt is best brushed off with a wire brush or acid'd off.. then dig about to see whats causing the soft spots.
 
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Thanks for reply.

I don't think this is efflorescence - there are patches of that on other bits of the wall which are whitish coloured. These patches are really bright yellow.

I have spoken to the builders merchants who supplied the blocks and they are intrigued. As soon as we can get hold of the delivery note they are going to send someone out to look at the wall and then pass the matter on to the manufacturers if necessary.

The wall was only completed just before this Christmas so if it has deteriorated due to dampness it seems to have happened very quickly. The manufacturer's website says the blocks are suitable for building raised planters, among other things. There is a cavity between the two skins.

It really is very odd. We have a wall of similar construction in another part of the garden which was built over 15 years ago and which is fine.

Many thanks for replies.
 

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