# Forum Home Renovation Brickwork  Help please : bricks leaking following heavy rain

## joynz

Hi 
During the last couple of heavy rains in Melbourne some of the brickwork on one of my brick veneer walls has leaked. Not just condensation *but rolling droplets streaming down the inside of the brickwork* and along a section of cross bracing. The floor plate has also become wet from the dripping. 
There is currently no wall lining, so it's easy to see. (This - western - wall has only narrow eaves). 
The brickwork seems to be leaking in two ways: 
1. Through mortor joints (but the outside of the brickwork looks fine
2. Along one side edge of the window frame where it meets the brick 
I am intending to install insulation so need to fix this issue before that. 
All suggestions welcome and appreciated.

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## Bedford

Water usually only runs down hill, I'd be looking for a leak in the roofing, possibly a broken tile or a blocked or damaged gutter overflowing back across the eave and down the brickwork. :Smilie:

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## nww1969

Had a relo with a new house with similar problem when heavy rain would hit his garage wall
From memory the builders came back and sprayed the wall with a clear water resistant membrane.

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## GeoffW1

> Had a relo with a new house with similar problem when heavy rain would hit his garage wall
> From memory the builders came back and sprayed the wall with a clear water resistant membrane.

  Hi, 
Yes, agree, I had a garage with a single skin south-facing wall. When rain came with wind, the water would visibly run down the inside. 
Two good applications of clear matt silicone based repellent fixed it, like this stuff  Crommelin - Waterproofing, Sealers, Roof Coatings and Asbestos Treatment. 
I imagine a recoat every 5 years or so would be needed. 
Cheers

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## ScroozAdmin

brickwork is porous and mortar joints moreso so its not unusual to see droplets in cavities particularly with hollow brick where it can track down the inside of the brick and into other joints etc. You would normally see this leaching through the brickwork fairly evenly though (with a big damp patch) and only after a severe dousing. 
If its streaming through as you say then I'd be looking for a leak as per Bedfords post, particularly if its confined to one area, if it was also windy then driving rain can find its way into any exposed tiny gaps.. Remember its the inner skin that should be 100% watertight not necessarily the outer.

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## autogenous

The whole purpose of external face brick walls is to carry water down to the base then back outside at ground level.  Any item that bridges the cavity or carries excessive amounts of water inside should be removed. 
It is hard to tell by your description whether it is a normal amount of water or you have a leaky roof, poor flashing etc.

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## joynz

Hi 
Thanks very much for the feedback and suggestions.  
I'm pretty sure the water isn't coming from the roof (colourbond - just 4 years old) as it came in halfway down the inside wall, in an area about 1.2m from the floor, but no higher (apart from where it came in around one side of the window - about 1.8m high).  
On close inspection, the water coming through the bricks seemed to be coming through the morter joints. 
The suggestion about the wind-driven rain factor sounds spot on (strong leakage during big storm here on New Year's Eve) but in last night's gentle rain, there was no problem. 
I will investigate the water proofing. 
Query 1: *Do you think I should get the mortor repointed (*if that is the correct term) in that area? (I have marked the sources of all the water ingress points). 
Query 2: *How to seal the window* (water also came through almost invisible space along edge). I stripped and repainted the window last year and wonder if the new (high quality outdoor paint) isn't sealing as well. Should I use silicone and if so, where? 
Thank you

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## ScroozAdmin

> Query 1: *Do you think I should get the mortor repointed (*if that is the correct term) in that area? (I have marked the sources of all the water ingress points).

  might help if theres some hairline cracking in the joints but more likely it won't stop the problem completely, waterproofing compounds may also help but if they need recoating on the internal face every few years then your stuffed once you close up the inner skin. 
You really need a permanent solution to getting the water out of the cavity once its in, you should have a cavity tray or flashing at the bottom of the wall along with a series of open vertical joints (perps) this guides any water soaking through the facework back out again at the bottom of the wall. see pic. this is what they are designed for so you can see the issue is pretty normal.   

> Query 2: *How to seal the window* (water also came through almost invisible space along edge). I stripped and repainted the window last year and wonder if the new (high quality outdoor paint) isn't sealing as well. Should I use silicone and if so, where? 
> Thank you

  its not the paint, water can track through pretty much anywhere and on window/door frames it often runs along hidden edges and seams and shows up in places nowhere near the actual leak, a good quality silicone seal aound the full perimeter of the frame where it touches the brickwork should do it, if not it could be coming in above it, windows/doors should also have an internal tray/flashing fitted.

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