Issues That Arise with Improper Placing of the Brick Ties

Wall ties which are sometimes referred to as brick ties are used at time of construction of the building with cavity walls. The brick ties are used for joining the two leaves of the cavity wall together and that allows the two parts to act as a homogeneous unit. The brick ties are hidden from the view of the construction. Thus, it plays an important role in ensuring the long term durability and stability of the masonry or building.

The brick ties which would be poorly installed or insufficient for the cavity walls would further lead to the extreme structural problems and that includes damp penetration, masonry wall cracks or even the collapse of the outer masonry leaf.

Here are some of the most common issues that arise with the usage of brick ties. Thus, the below article would help you in saving your masonry from collapsing. Go on and have a look!

·      Inaccurate spacing: The contractors place the Brick wall ties or brick ties wherever they find them to be convenient. This results in the attachment of the plywood or OSB sheathing. The contractors should have perfect knowledge regarding the space as in one tie per 2.67 feet of the wall area. Also the numbers can work with 16 or 24 inch of the stud spacing.

·      Poor nailing: In most of the masonries, it has been observed that the brick ties that are installed with the uncoated nails are susceptible to corrosion. While on the other hand the contractors use the roofing nails which do not penetrate the framing deeply. Thus, it is recommended that the contractors should always use at least 2.5 inch of the galvanized nail.

·    Upside-down ties: Most of the installers fasten all the ties in order to start the brick work. At that time, often the corrugated ties get folded. Thus, the ties get lined up.  And this upside-down tie can act as a spring under load. This can make the water slipping from the wall.

Wide gaps: The corrugated brick ties are only stiff enough when there’s at least 1 inch of the airspace in between. However, when the brick layers align on the top of it, it leaves 2 or 2.5 inches of the space. And even if the wall doesn’t fail, the brick then deform under wind load and this causes cracks.