Efflorescence on exterior brickwork following storms

[JonDH]

Hi,

Since the big storms over the Christmas period, we started to get efflorescence on the exterior brickwork, next to our front door.

As you can see from the pics it is just above and below the damp proof course and has started to spread around the corner, onto the front-facing wall.

I cleared it off once and it returned after the next heavy rainfall. The property is over 10 years old, so it seems a little odd to me that this should start now?

Any advice on what to do/look for next would be really gratefully appreciated.

Untitled

• JonDH
• 18 Jan 2014
• 1

Untitled

• JonDH
• 18 Jan 2014
• 1

 

[conny]

Only suggestion I can think of is to brush it off with a stiff wire brush and maybe wash down with a weak bleach solution. It may re-appear a number of times before it stops altogether.

 

[Blagard]

Brush it off when dry. Don't wash it as that just puts the salts back into solution to be absorbed again. Bleech will do nothing!

In time it should weather away and is nothing to worry about.

I think that due to the weather the bricks are all getting wetter than usual so salts that occur naturally in the clay in the bricks and mortar are probably being taken into solution and simply getting left behind when the solution evaporates off the face of the brick/mortar. You will commonly see it on new building work as there is loads of water put into the construction of brickwork.

 

[JonDH]

Perfect. Thanks for the advice, really appreciate you taking the time.