Why is my brick wall cracking?

When we think of strong, long standing structures, we certainly think of brickwork or masonry in general. Although strong and long-lasting, brickwork can still have a number of issues that require solving throughout the years of its life. One of the most common are cracks in the brickwork, ranging from cracks in individual bricks to cracks in the mortar joints. As experts in brick repairs and repointing, Sydney - we have a very good idea as to why your brick wall may be facing issues with cracks. Read on for more information.

You might have noticed that the walls of residential structures consist of an exterior and an interior wall, and there is a cavity between both of the walls. The cavity provides thermal insulation that prevents too much heat from entering your interiors. Likewise, allows the heat to stay in during the colder months of the year.

The walls are held tight together inside the cavity, making them upright, strong and even more stable. But sometimes, the walls inside or outside of the house can face issues. These issues might be leaning. bowing, bulging or bending of the wall. This can cause the cavity to fail and as a result, the wall ties can also fail.

Here are a few main causes for brick wall failure:

1) Subsidence

The downward shifting of the ground underneath is called subsidence. In other words, you may say that your house is sinking when your house is facing subsidence.

Changes in the shape of the ground under house pressure or changes in moisture. In extremely dry weather, the ground can start shrinking. As your house is built, when the foundations are laid, the ground should be properly surveyed for potential land movement and built accordingly so as not to face major repercussions from subsidence.

When the house is sinking unevenly, the foundations also become uneven, and the interior and exterior walls also start sinking. When your walls start sinking downwards, this should be cause for alarm. If the walls shift dramatically, then wall ties may disconnect or snap completely.

2) Wall Tie Corrosion

Sometimes, moisture can build-up between the exterior and also the interior walls. It takes years and decades for the moisture to build. This happens especially when you live near the seaside or any places that face a lot of wet weather.

The wall ties are usually made up of steel. As a result of moisture, they can face issues with rust. The more moisture they are surrounded by, the quicker the rust will accumulate. Even the brickwork itself soaks a lot of moisture. This can cause the accelerated corrosion of wall ties.

3) Expansion

Another leading cause of wall tie corrosion is expansion. When excess moisture is built up in the cavity between exterior and interior walls, the wall ties corrode. If left untreated, the corroded wall ties expand and take more volume than they did originally. Such wall ties crack the walls at the joints in which they are placed.

As the moisture is absorbed, the brickwork expands also. This expansion places unequal pressure on the structure, and can result in the leaning, bowing, and bending of the walls.

If you suspect that your walls may have a build up of moisture within them, or you are observing signs of wall-tie failure (such as those mentioned above), we highly suggest you get in contact with our professionals at your earliest convenience. Wall tie failure can lead not only to large cracks and mortar deterioration , but to entire wall failure - meaning - one day you might come home and the wall may no longer be standing.

Do you have any questions about this article or about your home’s brickwork? Give Keystone Pointing a call today or drop us a message from our contact page.