External Concrete Block Horror Show

MrMeeples

My father has allowed his Bathroom/Kitchin external wall to deteriorate over a number of years due to leaks from pipes and the rain.  I'm trying to work out if the exposed concrete blocks have also deteriorated, or if this is how certain wall blocks should look.  I can see that the wall to the left and up are cement covered, and I'm worried that the block itself is damaged, or is it just something I can cover with cement to keep the rain off?

And yes, that is underwear plugging up the pipe hole. My Dad is not a very smart man.

molerat

Nothing really wrong with the block / brickwork.  The woodwork and bodged pipework on the other hand .........

CliveOfIndia

Looks like a standard breeze block to me, nothing much wrong with it as such.  The surrounding woodwork could do with a spot of attention though.

Ideally you'd want to fill in the gap around the pipes properly whilst your at it.  Those cans of expanding foam are cheap and easy to use.  Might not make the neatest of finishes (though you can trim it back once it's cured if you want), but it'll be better than what's there at the moment.

MrMeeples

CliveOfIndia said:

Looks like a standard breeze block to me, nothing much wrong with it as such.  The surrounding woodwork could do with a spot of attention though.

Ideally you'd want to fill in the gap around the pipes properly whilst your at it.  Those cans of expanding foam are cheap and easy to use.  Might not make the neatest of finishes (though you can trim it back once it's cured if you want), but it'll be better than what's there at the moment.

We eventually want to get the whole frame, panels and door replaced with UPVC ones, but at the moment it's about damage control.  Next job is to get those pipes out and see if they are leaking. The limescale trails down the wall, and the plaster falling off the inner wall suggests a long slow leak.  I was just terrified that it had damaged the actual bricks as well.

CliveOfIndia

MrMeeples said:

Next job is to get those pipes out and see if they are leaking. The limescale trails down the wall, and the plaster falling off the inner wall suggests a long slow leak.  I was just terrified that it had damaged the actual bricks as well.

Those pipes look to me like standard screw-fit ones.  Dead easy to DIY - finding the leak can be a little more fiddly.

First off, run some water through them, see if you can see any obvious leaks.  I'd start by looking at the joints, that's the most likely place.

If it is the joints, you just need to unscrew them by hand.  There should be a rubber washer inside, check that it's not perished.  Give everything a really good clean (an old toothbrush is perfect for cleaning the threads) then reassemble them.  They don't need to be mega-tight, basically do them up by hand, then perhaps a little nip with a pair of pliers/pump pliers to make sure.  But don't overdo it.  After you've cleaned everything thoroughly and before you reassemble, a little smear of Vaseline on the threads and washers doesn't do any harm.

If cleaning them doesn't do the trick, replacement parts are cheap as chip and easily available from anywhere - B&Q, Wickes, online, wherever.

I'd be a little surprised if it's the pipes themselves that have fractured, rather than a problem with the joints.  But even if the pipes need replacing, again it's a cheap and easy DIY fix.

MrMeeples

CliveOfIndia said:

MrMeeples said:

Next job is to get those pipes out and see if they are leaking. The limescale trails down the wall, and the plaster falling off the inner wall suggests a long slow leak.  I was just terrified that it had damaged the actual bricks as well.

Those pipes look to me like standard screw-fit ones.  Dead easy to DIY - finding the leak can be a little more fiddly.

First off, run some water through them, see if you can see any obvious leaks.  I'd start by looking at the joints, that's the most likely place.

If it is the joints, you just need to unscrew them by hand.  There should be a rubber washer inside, check that it's not perished.  Give everything a really good clean (an old toothbrush is perfect for cleaning the threads) then reassemble them.  They don't need to be mega-tight, basically do them up by hand, then perhaps a little nip with a pair of pliers/pump pliers to make sure.  But don't overdo it.  After you've cleaned everything thoroughly and before you reassemble, a little smear of Vaseline on the threads and washers doesn't do any harm.

If cleaning them doesn't do the trick, replacement parts are cheap as chip and easily available from anywhere - B&Q, Wickes, online, wherever.

I'd be a little surprised if it's the pipes themselves that have fractured, rather than a problem with the joints.  But even if the pipes need replacing, again it's a cheap and easy DIY fix.

I suspect it might be mice gnawing on the pipes. There's no cavity wall insulation.  That's another thing on a very long list.

ThisIsWeird

The blocks and bricks are fine, and always will be.
The pipes are also likely ok, but can be withdrawn to check very easily since compression fittings are used - just do as said above, remove the elbows, pull them through. I suspect your internal issues are just due to rain landing on the pipes and travelling indoors on the outer surface of the pipes?

MrMeeples

Thanks for the replies. I took the pipes out and found my father had knocked rubble unto the cavity and just left it there. It was letting damp soak straight through the walls into the other side. Might be difficult to extract without replacing the blocks. The holes for the pipes are also now atrociously big and might be hard to fix. I've covered the exposed area in plastic sheeting to keep the rain off.  Might be a springtime job.

casper_gutman

Someone upthread mentioned the block looked like "breeze block". Caution is needed with terminology. "Breeze" here means lightweight aggregates, traditionally coal cinders. Breeze blocks aren't suitable for external use where they'll be subject to the weather. 

I can't tell from the pic personally, and the block could be a dense aggregate concrete block. The term breeze block tends to get used for concrete blocks generally, whether or not they include breeze. If this is breeze block then some kind of weatherproof cladding needs to be reinstated PDQ, either by renewing the weatherboarding (using timber or composite boards) or by some other means such as rendering. If you want to go down the route of rendering, there may be products (primers, base coats etc) that are particularly suitable if this is breeze block. Maybe it would be worth reading around the subject and speaking to a couple of people with experience in the area before committing to anything.

ThisIsWeird

MrMeeples said:

Thanks for the replies. I took the pipes out and found my father had knocked rubble unto the cavity and just left it there. It was letting damp soak straight through the walls into the other side. Might be difficult to extract without replacing the blocks. The holes for the pipes are also now atrociously big and might be hard to fix. I've covered the exposed area in plastic sheeting to keep the rain off.  Might be a springtime job.

Good to hear an update

With these pipes temporarily removed, there should be room to insert a (gloved) hand in there to scoop out any debris.

At what height do these pipes go through - above or below floor level? 

Once the cavity is fully clear, it would be best to use mortar to make good the hole, and not foam which could deteriorate, and also allow meece to chew their way through. 

First, you'd need to ensure that the pipes are laid out as best they can - they appear to feed into an open clay pipe? Do you know if there's a trap down there? Eg, when you lift out the pipes, can you see a 'water level' down that clay pipe, say a foot down? With still-gloved hand, could you check if there's any debris in there? Apart from the two pipes, that pipe seems to be open to the air, so dirt and all sorts can easily fall in and build up to cause a blockage at some point.

I'd take advice - perhaps from this forum - on the best way to arrange these two waste pipes, either dropping into a neater cap over the existing pipe, designed to take the two waste pipes, or perhaps even directed into the gulley to its right? The latter will allow you to collect any hair coming out, for example - as I regularly do.

Once the preferred pipe arrangement is found, the two pipe sections should be sleeved as they come through the wall - this is as easy as using short sections of the next pipe size up, or you could get away with using the same size, sliced longways, and slipped over the pipe - yes, there will be a small exposed side bit, but not an issue. Then fill the hole around it with mortar, adding bits of stone, or the block-rubble you extracted from the cavity, to bulk it up. Make sure you don't push any into the cavity! From the inside, repeat the process.

These blocks are 'concrete', and will last a lifetime. The weatherboarding is clearly kaput, but that should lend itself to the most satisfying possible reno - re-cladding in new board, composite or PVC. A lovely project!

How much of that wall is covered in the timber 'board?

stuart45

In the building trade you rarely hear the term breeze block. Outside the trade all blocks seem to be called breeze blocks. The true breeze blocks had coke breeze as the aggregate, and were a dark, almost black colour.
In the USA, screen blocks are also referred to as breeze blocks as they allow the breeze through them.