Fixing gaps around pipes in outside brick wall

[noobiediyer]

I've got a few pipes and holes that are in the outside brick wall. Two of these are from old pipes that are disconnected now:

The others are just messy gaps around existing pipes:

What's the best way to fix this? Some of the holes are really big and I wouldn't want birds, rats or any other creatures to get access or for weather to cause damage?

 

[opps]

Expanding foam is ideal, but UV light will make it turn orange and brittle over time.

If you don't want to have to purchase sand and cement to finish off the job, first push in wire wool, then expanding foam.

Any mice or rats that decide to chew the foam will stop as soon as they hit the wire wool, it cuts through their nose.

Although expanding foam becomes brittle, it will only be the first 3(?)mm of exterior foam that will turn orange and brittle, the rest will remain watertight.

If you use expanding foam, blow away any dust and apply a mist of water to the bricks. It will aide adhesion and speed up curing times.

If you have never used expanding foam before, be advised that it may expand more than you expect. You can cut away the excess, but you don't want it dripping down the brick faces and on to any paving.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You could always look for pipe snug collars, available in a variety of sizes for plumbing pipework (try a local plumbing or building merchant), I've only ever seen only black, grey and white (the same colours as PVC pipe), but that is all I've ever needed

 

[opps]

You could always look for pipe snug collars, available in a variety of sizes for plumbing pipework (try a local plumbing or building merchant), I've only ever seen only black, grey and white (the same colours as PVC pipe), but that is all I've ever needed

Would a snug collar deal with the pipe in the last image? And can they be fitted retrospectively?

UV issues aside, I find PU foam to be brilliant. Yeah, ants can chew through it, but will only do so if it is a "learned path" that they want to follow

 

[noobiediyer]

Thank you for the reply, expanding foam with wire wool sounds like a great option. And in order to make it more discreet cosmetically, can I crush up some brick dust with some silicon and create a somewhat brick paste to make it blend in?

Or, is there a better way to do this?

 

[thomp1983]

Expanding foam, get the gun type and a gun it will be alot better job then finish off with this stuff in the appropriate colour.

Soudal Repair Express 290ml Cement Grey | Toolstation

• Acrylic polymer • High speed repair cement • Textured finish • Very fast curing • Excellent adhesion on many mineral surfaces • 290ml apply using standard cartridge gun • 900ml apply using a trowel or pointing tool High speed acrylic polymer formulation for the quick and easy...

www.toolstation.com

That's one I repaired last year with foam, a 40mm pipe snug and the same mortar repair below the snug.

 

[^woody^]

A few holes!

Change the bricks or use the old mortar, dye, brick dust and fake joints trick.

Wire wool will give you your next post "How do I remove rust stains running all down my wall? "

 

[opps]

A few holes!

Change the bricks or use the old mortar, dye, brick dust and fake joints trick.

Wire wool will give you your next post "How do I remove rust stains running all down my wall? "

Why would there be rust stains. PU foam is water proof.

 

[^woody^]

Why would there be rust stains. PU foam is water proof.

It's not waterproof. It may have some level of water resistance depending on some factors, but that can't be relied upon.

There may be some specialist products that are, but the common tins aren't.

There should be no need for mesh for basic hole filling. The only time I can think of adding it, would be for internal holes, in hidden places and using chicken wire to keep rodents out that would otherwise chew through the foam.

 

[opps]

It's not waterproof. It may have some level of water resistance depending on some factors, but that can't be relied upon.

There may be some specialist products that are, but the common tins aren't.

There should be no need for mesh for basic hole filling. The only time I can think of adding it, would be for internal holes, in hidden places and using chicken wire to keep rodents out that would otherwise chew through the foam.

When I suggested that it is water proof, I wasn't thinking of Olympic swimming pools and thousands of litres of water.

I have used PU foam in the past to deal with, for example, the hardwood timber door threshold on my garage door that was so stupidly deep that the underside was below the DPM. Water used to run in when it rained, I drilled a series of holes through the top of the threshold, and squirted in foam. As soon as I did the leaks stopped leaking. That was 18 yrs ago.

Previously we had water leaking into the garage. After the foam, the floor was dry, and remains dry.

How do you explain that?

 

[kp00110]

Foams looks terrible, do it properly with the correct collar, or replace damage brick

 

[opps]

Foams looks terrible, do it properly with the correct collar, or replace damage brick

I agree that a collar is probably the easiest way to cover the visible hole, but why not use foam to make it watertight/waterproof and creepy crawly free first, and then put the collar over it?