Problem with chasing into brick (bricks keep falling out...)

[smp50]

This is a "building" issue but I imagine people in this section have encountered it more. In this 1930's ex-LA cavity walled house, I seem unable to cut into brick for new sockets. Even the pressure of the drill bit at the start begins to slide the brick backwards out of the wall, and if I use a chisel then it moves all over the place. Twice now I've ended up with a completely loose brick which I just pulled out of the wall, set on the floor to drill into, then slid back into place (and hopefully fixed it well enough) afterwards.

Is this likely just an issue with the walls, the mortar being too weak now to resist? I don't think my bits are especially blunt or ineffective and it doesn't feel like I'm applying a lot of pressure.

I've only got one more socket to do but it's a real pain and feels horribly messy. Not like those nice videos on YouTube...

 

[sparkwright]

Using a grinder to cut the wall into littles squares then lightly chisselling these away may have been better, but very dusty.

Sounds like if you only have one left to do it's hardly worth hiring one.

Cementing the brick back in is one option, drilling the fixing holes in the brick before cementing back seems the answer.

Put plenty of cement round the edges of the box too.

As you've found out, not the most satisfactory way of doing things, but as long as the cement bonds then it will all be forgotten about.