How to Chase pipework into the brick - Outside walls

[DaleBlack]

Hi there

I am contemplating rendering a brick section of my house and currently there is some fairly ugly protruding water pipe (hot and cold) feeding two taps. It is curved and about 3m long.

I want to hide the pipes bar the taps, below the brick surface for a flushed look.

Is this relatively easy for the layman to do? I was thinking of using my 125mm angle grinder with a diamond masonry cutting disk, to cut 2 lines about 2inches apart.

My questions are

1- Should i cut a series of "straight in"lines btw those outer cuts but obviously without hitting the pipe and then chisel out the thin wedges? or angle my 2 outer cuts in a sort of v shape that cuts under &around behind the existing pipework?

2 - How deep? Just enough that the pipework can be pushed beneath the flush surface?

3 - Is a 125mm angle grinder up to this task combined with a std angled chisel?

4 - What do i use to hold the pipes in? some cement?

5- If I got a trade to do this, which one? Plumber - how long would sinking in 3m curved take him? ie. approx cost

Cheers

[DaleBlack]

Some images of the pipework to be chased in, the lagging on the hot pipe makes it quite large. Should this be removed and grey duct tape used instead?

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Is your place 9" brick or brick veneer?

'Cos personally, I wouldn't be chasing that lot into the brickwork. If I could I'd remove the internal wall for access and reroute the plumbing internally, with just the two taps and mixer on the outside.

Mostly a job for a plumber, as all the joints in the wall would have to be soldered, but replastering & painting is well within a handyman's domain.

Of course, if it's 9" brick, this ain't an option...

(And no... don't replace the lagging with duct tape. Duct tape's for holding insulation on, not replacing it. )

[wonderplumb]

Mate plumbers do chase walls, yes a 5" grinder will do the trick, as a plumber I would like to rip the whole lot off the wall and start again, its cheap insurance, I would then hold the pipework in the chase with a nail here and there then mud the chases up with sand and cement, removing the nails once its gone off. Looking at your picture I would say half a day maybe a little more plus materials.

[bricks]

I'd be more inclined to render over the pipes for a couple of reasons,

• You will have a hard time pushing the pipes into your chase at the point where they exit the brick
• it's going to cost you less because you can do it yourself
• your not taking so much brick out, in such close proximity the chases may aswell be one big hole, leading to possible structural problems, horizontal chases are to be avoided if at all possible.

This thing needs to be changed to a welded tee by the way.

What you need to do

• Wrap the pipes with plastic film or duct tape to stop the cement corroding the copper/ brass
• clip all pipes to the wall as tight as you can
• change that tee to a proper (welded) one
• Make sure taps are level
• You'll need about 25mm of render instead of the usual 20mm
• Where the breaching peice and the taps are finish smooth and then stick a tile panel onto the wall like a splashback, this will neaten the job up, that's why the taps are level, and make it look like you always intended to have the taps there in that way. At the moment it looks like a dogs breakfast.

I would avoid chasing the wall and trying to put the pipes in, its allot harder if it's and existing installation using short runs like that.

[DaleBlack]

Hi there guys

House is Brick Veneer. After reading your advise, I am thinking that the suggestion of re-routing the plumbing in the cavity would be the neatest and most logical way.

The wall is the outside of a laundry that we are planning on ripping up the old boards and putting in a bath/shower as well as small basin/laundry. This obviously would require alot of plumber pipework and also existing internal fibre cement sheets being ripped out so probably I should attend to the outside pipework at that time.

Does seem a waste of effort/money to attempt to push all that mess into the bricks, if it can be easily re routed.

Questions: How thick does render normally go onto a brickwall?

Bricki, your suggestion about having the render to 25mm rather then 20mm. Are you saying thats how thick the render on brickwork would actually go normally, and therefore i should get them to go an extra 5mm to one inch to encapsulate all the pipework bar taps?

There also appears to be a reddish coloured rectangular slab of protruding concrete below the taps that Iam told is a sort of splashback they put on years ago. I was thinking of chipping this off to just the bricks.

Cheers and thanks

[wonderplumb]

Reckon you'd leave all that rubbish there? Id bet on that breech being soft soldered, as well as that Id recommend replacing the gal waste pip[e while I was at it, just so its done and out of the way and so it doesnt end up half rendered into the wall. Just my 2c worth....

[wonderplumb]

You must have submitted your post as I was typing mine Dale, if you are going to gut the room anyway you would be better off getting rid of it and running it from the inside, BTW if memory serves me a sink breech such as the one in your photo would require at least 35mm of render to cover it. Too thick, the majority of render jobs ive seen are between 5mm and 15mm depending on differences in the wall.....

[bricks]

Hi there guys

House is Brick Veneer. After reading your advise, I am thinking that the suggestion of re-routing the plumbing in the cavity would be the neatest and most logical way.

Thats the best solution concerning workmanship, durability and looks.

The wall is the outside of a laundry that we are planning on ripping up the old boards and putting in a bath/shower as well as small basin/laundry. This obviously would require alot of plumber pipework and also existing internal fibre cement sheets being ripped out so probably I should attend to the outside pipework at that time.

That will also be the most cost effective as it would probably be harder to have the old stuff disconnected and reconected etc... Rip the whole lot out and cash in the copper, then get it all done exactly how you'd like it done.

Does seem a waste of effort/money to attempt to push all that mess into the bricks, if it can be easily re routed.

Questions: How thick does render normally go onto a brickwall?

Depends on the coating your using anything from 10-20mm is usual, but the coating will increase and decrease to account for flaws ( sorry, character) in the brickwork.

Bricki, your suggestion about having the render to 25mm rather then 20mm. Are you saying thats how thick the render on brickwork would actually go normally, and therefore i should get them to go an extra 5mm to one inch to encapsulate all the pipework bar taps?

It's an option, basically you'd ask them to cover the pipes and breacher to enable you to fit the taps flush to the wall. If you get it all re-done it will be better

There also appears to be a reddish coloured rectangular slab of protruding concrete below the taps that Iam told is a sort of splashback they put on years ago. I was thinking of chipping this off to just the bricks.

If your rendering the wall then make sure to rough up the face of this part, that way the render will stick, you dont have to remove it compleatly just smash it back to behind the render and make sure the render has something to grip on to.

Cheers and thanks

Cheers

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

House is Brick Veneer. After reading your advise, I am thinking that the suggestion of re-routing the plumbing in the cavity would be the neatest and most logical way.

Thats the best solution concerning workmanship, durability and looks.