Originally Posted By: cmccann This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Did a home today that had a half basement half crawl space. All along the dirt line, pretty much all the way around the foundation wall was some big time efflorescence with spalling. The spalling was coming off in sheets. It looked like someone cut 3/4 of the way through a onion a bunch of times. I could grab sections of the wall and it comes off in my hand. Mind you this is really only at the dirt line, with the spalling going up about 6". Any ideas on how to handle this? Thanks Chuck
Originally Posted By: cmccann This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Russell, The wall is damp pretty much all the way around in the foundation. I got more info, It turns out this section used to be a basement, and was filled in with sand and dirt. The dummie forgot to treat the walls. He filled the basement in to get out of paying taxes.
Originally Posted By: cmccann This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Thanks, I already did. The owner claims it’s the previous owner who did it. Very strange, There is a lot to this I think that is missing. Like Jimmy Hoffa maybe!
Originally Posted By: fbuttermore This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Chuck, I realize that this was an old topic but discovered it while looking for different crawl/slab issues others have seen. What is spalling? I have never heard the term before.
Spalling is a loss of surface material due to moisture infiltration. It occurs when moisture inside the brick expands and contracts due to thermal action and when moisture evaporates at the surface of the brick.
Added from their website: Brick Spalling is Almost Impossible to Repair:
In some cases, individual bricks may be removed from the wall, cleaned, and reinstalled with the damaged face to the inside of the wall. Where spalling is severe, and reversing the bricks is not possible, remedial efforts may be taken to save the remaining fabric of the material. Remedial measures include application of a water-repellent coating or the application of paint that matches the original brick color. Application of protective coatings is not generally recommended but if used, the coating should be breathable and should not significantly alter the brick finish. If salvaged or replica bricks can be obtained, severely damaged brick may be replaced.
Originally Posted By: Jay Moge This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
i maintain 15 24unit building that are all brick vanier, and my mason and i were talking about some of the orange bricks on the building that i thaught were spalling. he informed me that in the past 25 yrs he’s been doing this that he has learned to call them “orange poppers”. water is absorbed in these type brick that look like teracota, freezes and “pops”. then bug get in the small holes and birds actualy peck out the bugs (that part i’ve seen first hand) it’s not to be confused with spalling though it’s just as bad and just as hard to repair.
