Adding Weep Holes

[hausdok]

True story,

Back in 2000, the first day that my wife Yung began working with me, I taught her how to use my Protimeter SM and turned her loose inside a brick home I was inspecting.

The home had the usual litany of problems but nothing really "serious". I was nearly done when Yung tugged at my sleeve and had me go into the basement where there was a low spot and stain on the old worn carpet. She showed me that it indicated about 30% moisture.

The first thing I thought was that a cat or dog had peed on the carpet or someone had knocked over a drink. She shook her head and then deliberately began moving toward the wall of the finished basement pocking the SM into the carpet over a narrow band about 6 inches wide. It continued to register high readings.

When she got to the wall she showed me where the baseboard was about 25% moisture. I pulled back the edge of the carpet and found a trickle of water draining out from behind the drywall. I scanned the drywall and it read dry. The owner was there and explained that there were 1 by 4 nailers attached to the basement and cripple walls and that behind that was a layer of polyethylene plastic.

I opined that something, I didn't know what, was leaking into the wall. The owner wanted to know what it was but I told him that they'd have to get an invasive inspection to determine that. I went back about my business. A few minutes later the owner came to me and told me that he wanted me to do the invasive inspection. I was loath to do it but he insisted and said he'd pay me to do it so I agreed to open the wall.

I got my utility knife and we cut a hole in the wall. As soon as we popped that piece of drywall out the stench of rotting wood literally assailed us. The inside of the wall cavity was just soaking wet. I reached in and squeezed one of the cripple wall studs and it literally broke off and collapsed in my hand.

The cause? No weep holes. This was the south (weather-exposed) side of a home with an atypical east-coast type of roof without our typical 2-ft deep overhangs. Water striking the south side of the home was striking and permeating the brick, draining down to the bottom of the wall where it couldn't escape fast enough, backing up behind the felt and overflowing into the wall cavity. For whatever reason, it was able to drain all the way to the center of that basement room without soaking through the foam carpet underlayment and it was backing up in an old dirt-plugged drain in the center of the floor and that was what was spotting the carpet.

Best argument for through wall flashings and weeps in a veneer brick wall that I've ever seen. I was really proud of my rookie inspector that day because she'd saved my bacon. Imagine the cost to repair that mess if she hadn't suspected a spot on the carpet at such an unlikely spot in the center of a seemingly dry room.

Over the past five years she's become a master with that Protimeter and I've learned the hard way, many times, that I shouldn't question her findings.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[mgbinspect]

Great story!

I'm truly happy to hear that they actually now and then can save the day. Lord knows, I installed thousands of 'em.

And, As I said, they probably do make nice vents too.

[paul burrell]

Originally posted by mgbinspect

Dangit!

Well, this is a subject I've avoided up until today, because I see it as pretty insignificant... A formality.. "straining at gnats" Today's second new construction inspection brick veneer has no weeps. And, of course, because it's code I have to make a big deal out of it.

Frankly, after 14 years as a journeyman mason, 6 ears as a general contractor and 14 years as a home inspector... I've never ever seen anything come out of a weephole but bugs. I don't even think I've ever seen a stain indicating that a weephole ever served its purpose!? If anything, I can see that weepholes offer a bit of ventilation and evaporation and yes, of course, it makes logical sense to install them over flashing. But, I bet the ventilation is probably more of a plus than the drainage.

I just hate to make a mountain out of this mole hill.

Oh, well. There, I've said it, reported it and, thereby, done my job.

Did brick front home couple months back. The entire front escecially where weeps and flashing should be installed is awful looking with efflorecce. $325,000 new home six months old. The mason has agreed to remove brick and redo job it is so bad.

Paul Burrell

[mgbinspect]

Ouch! (There's practically no margin in residential masonry to begin with. One little mistake and you're already at "break even" if not a "loss")

I avoided residential development masonry like the plague. Brutal!