masonry exposed to rainfall

[Jim Baird]

Attached picture shows set of seven risers, recently reassembled (not the neatest job in the world), to replace brick riser units that fell away from both edges of this masonry monolith because joints failed.

Could this result from acid rain?

Click to Enlarge

58.15 KB

[Chad Fabry]

More likely from hosing the brick off too soon

[Jim Baird]

More likely from hosing the brick off too soon

...forty years ago?

[inspector57]

Attached picture shows set of seven risers, recently reassembled (not the neatest job in the world), to replace brick riser units that fell away from both edges of this masonry monolith because joints failed.

Could this result from acid rain?

Click to Enlarge

58.15 KB

I would suspect just rain and freeze/thaw more than "acid" rain... but what do I know? No acid rain here to deal with.

[Jim Baird]

...I thought just about all of our rain these days is acidic.

[kurt]

It's about hard polymer additive mortars, hard vitrified brick, underlying concrete substrates that hold water, the deleterious effects of water in masonry, and expansion/contraction in extreme weather. Maybe some freeze/thaw....you get much freezing there in Comer?

Acid rain might play into it, but I think it's more just plain lousy design. Brick doesn't want to do what it's being told to do in this case.

[Jim Baird]

I've seen this a lot around here on fifty year old ranches.

Yes those outside bricks are laid edge up and perpendicular to the house. This is hardiness zone 7, where winter's low temps are sometimes in teens, rarely in single digits, so yes, some freezing going on. These steps, then, are kind of like brick parapets with no caps, holding water every time it rains.

[Jim Katen]

Acid cleans brick. Lots of acid erodes it. It doesn't smear schmutz all over the place.

Looks like leaching to me.

[Jim Baird]

Sorry the OP is confusing I guess. What you see is how many fell away and were mudded back by a sloppy practioner.

[Jim Katen]

Sorry the OP is confusing I guess. What you see is how many fell away and were mudded back by a sloppy practioner.

In that case, it's just a stupid design. In my area, a stairway like that wouldn't last anywhere near 40 years.

[kurt]

It's epidemic here, only here they do it with bluestone, slate, pavers, or tiles.

[Bob K]

Ditto to what Kurt said. Chicago is plagued with efflorescence issues like this. It's shows a steady stream of water bringing out the elements of the hard mortars.

[tom2tone]

Is that a wrought Iron hand rail. Over time, they tend to loosen up the mortar joints, causing cracks that allow water to penetrate and freeze during the cold months. Obviously expanding ice would cause a problem.