MOT your brickwork

1. Vertical or stepped cracks. A sure sign of subsidance. If your home is showing similar symptoms give us a call we will take a look with the boroscope & give you a free no obligation quote

2. Horizontal cracking. A sign of wall tie failure.A common fault in older properties where the ties corrode. If your home is showing similar symptoms act sooner rather than later.

3. Eroded bricks known as spalling. Caused by frost. Frost attack occurs when bricks become saturated and the temperature drops below freezing. Pores in the brick can become filled with water. When this water freezes it expands; this puts stress on the brick often causing it to crumble. Freezing temperatures alone will not cause damage to bricks. Mortar can also be damaged by frost, causing the mortar to lose strength and come away from the brick. Complete removal of the damaged bricks is advised.

4. Sulfate attack actually affects mortar and not brickwork. It is however rare, but can be expensive to cure.

Sulfate attack occurs when a chemical reaction happens between sulfate in solution and an ingredient of Portland cement. This causes the mortar to expand and crumble.

The chemical reaction happens when excessive amounts of water are in contact with the brickwork and mortar. The sulfates are found in the naturally occurring soluble salts of bricks. Re-pointing is recomended

5.Efflorescence is the deposit of soluble salts left on bricks when the water in which they were dissolved evaporates.  Most efflorescence is harmless, though it has an unattractive appearance. As efflorescence normally affects new buildings in the first three months, it is best left to weather away by itself. Although efflorescence can be removed manually, this may cause an unsatisfactory appearance.

Check the condition of your brickwork once a year! Remember problems are always less costly the sooner you deal with them. Call us for a free appraisal of your brickwork.

Maintenance checklist- brickwork download
MOT your brickwork.pdf
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