Help-Crack stitching

[Learner]

Who has stiched cracks in external brickwork using the crack stitching technique given below.

Help please. Cracks have appeared in my external brickwork

http://www.helifix.com.au/crack_stitching.html




Thanks and regards

[journeyman Mick]

Before even considering any type of repairs you need to:
Ascertain what has caused the cracking.
Ensure that any movement has stopped and/or will not revert to its previous position.
Address any problems that have caused the movement.

Mick

[echnidna]

after doing what mick said,
knock the broken bricks out and replace them with good bricks.
or hire a brickie to do it for you.

[Learner]

after doing what mick said,
knock the broken bricks out and replace them with good bricks.
or hire a brickie to do it for you.

You reckon the helifix stainless steel bars inserted horizontal to vertical cracks are no good?????

[Learner]

Before even considering any type of repairs you need to:
Ascertain what has caused the cracking.
Ensure that any movement has stopped and/or will not revert to its previous position.
Address any problems that have caused the movement.

Mick

Climate change. Building movement because of Dry conditions in ground/soil?

[echnidna]

replacing the bricks will give you an invisible repair.

[journeyman Mick]

Climate change. Dry conditions?

I don't know. The point is, it's no good fixing the brickwork by whatever means if it's going to crack due to further movement. You need to identify and eliminate the cause before you can treat the symptom.

You reckon the helifix stainless steel bars inserted horizontal to vertical cracks are no good?????

They may be structurally adequate but they'll still look like repaired/patched bricks.

Mick

[Learner]

replacing the bricks will give you an invisible repair.

There is natural building movement and and the crack will occour in the same place due to loads bearing in that area even if entire bricks are replaced.

Do you think the structural stainless steel reinforcement is useless.

New structures are also designed incorporating these horizontal stainless steel bars


New Build Helibar
http://www.helifix.com.au/helibar.html

THEY ARE LIKE LINTELS AND LOAD BEARING BEAMS


Help

[echnidna]

read post 2

[Wood Butcher]

Learner, listen to the advice given. Mick has been in the trade for a very long time and offers good advice. It is obvious you don't know for certain what is causing the problem and you need to get profressional advice before attempting any repairs. The helifix will only be a cosmetic solution at best if you do not get the underlying cause rectified.

[journeyman Mick]

There is natural building movement and and the crack will occour in the same place due to loads bearing in that area even if entire bricks are replaced..............

What the hell is "natural building movement"? Did you get some soil testing done and an engineer's report which told you it was "natural"? If it was "natural" then either:
A. You wouldn't get any cracking, or
B. Pretty much every brick building would get this "natural building movement" and its associated cracks.

........Do you think the structural stainless steel reinforcement is useless?..............

No, but it's not going to fix your problem. If you insert reinforcement without fixing the movement problem the reinforcement will just move the stress forces to another place/places in the wall and cause cracking there.

.............New structures are also designed incorporating these horizontal stainless steel bars..............

Are they? That's nice. But plenty of structures have been designed and built without them. In your case they would be like putting a bandaid on a broken leg. If you're a little kiddy then having a brightly coloured bandaid stuck on your "ouchy" might make you feel a bit better but it ain't gunna fix the broken leg.

...........Help

We're trying to, but you're not listening, you just want us to tell you what you want to hear. Ie you don't want help, you want confirmation. Sorry, you won't get it from me. One last time:

You need to fix the problem before you can do the cosmetic repairs to the brickwork.


Mick

[ian]

To followup on what Mick said

if there are no tree roots snaking under your house, the cracking is almost certainly due to differential settlement.

This can be temporaily "fixed" by pumping an "engineering mud" under the foundation to relevel the building and close up the cracks.
How long the fix lasts will depend on the reason behind the cracks.
If it's related to soil moisture and/or clay under the building you could end up releveling the whole house several times.

Bottom line, if you don't know what caused the cracks all you can really do is paper over them.


ian