Mortar flaking and bricks parting company - After only two years

[davowolf]

Can anyone suggest a reason why after only two years my mortar is flaking badly and bricks are separating.

Hope these pictures come out. I loaded them to my Picassa web albums.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1027941....yrsOn02

[cookiewales]

it's not good looks like to much fairy not enough cement were they laid in frost and the cracks could be the footing also laid in heat i.e. full sun can do this am sure lll will be about soon he is our brickwork guru:p

[lutonlagerlout]

TY mr.cook :;):

they look like LBC regency,not an ideal brick in a house let alone in garden walls
are they retaining walls?
if so do they have weep holes?
those lovely double bullnose blue staffs ,are no good on top of a soft brick like that
the cracks== footing has gone or tree roots
the mortar=== too weak,fairy
the bricks === not suitable for this type of work

sorry davowolf no quick fixes there mate
LLL

[lutonlagerlout]

just had a look at your album peter
sorry they may be LBC heathers
still not suitable for a retaining wall
no weep holes in the wall is a big problem
water runs down your garden then hits the wall,penetrates it ,then freezes and hey! presto
didnt your bricklayer (?) use engine oil to polish the blues?
or was that someone else?
you could try and core weep holes now,but the wall has basically failed
LLL

[davowolf]

Here's another view of the wall to show that it is retaining.

https://picasaweb.google.com/102794103654976187924/RetainingWall

The garden drops down straight on to the wall; no concrete or vertical damp course, but three weep holes on the bottom course.

Any solutions ?

[cookiewales]

Struggling there you need a class o brick give it a few more years and the face will blow of the bricks . To be honest the bricklayer should have said wrong bricks even render won't fix it

[local patios and driveway]

Davo, do i know you from the american car scene? Odd one but the monica rings a bell

[davowolf]

do i know you from the american car scene?

Don't think so CW - been to Nashville and Denver but no car connection....

But thanks y'all so far fellas - still struggling for a solution if there is one; bricks blowing doesn't sound great.

[lutonlagerlout]

sadly the solution is knock it down and rebuild with F1 or F2 bricks
sorry re pointing or rendering wont make unsuitable bricks suitable

i have had rows with blokes over this issue and yet I still see people laying LBCs in retaining walls
LLL

[henpecked]

What about tanking the back? Bit of a bodge but wouldn't hurt.

[davowolf]

Is this a proper retaining wall ?

Picassa

Best viewed on 'Slideshow' mode....

[dig dug dan]

Looks ok, excpet they have backfilled with soil, not gravel or free draining material. Did it have weepholes or have you drilled them?

[local patios and driveway]

not ideal but could he not rake out and re point black jack the back of the wall to get another ten years out of it?

[lutonlagerlout]

I went and paid davowolf a visit the other week and that is my view too dan and dan
blackjack the wall and use terram and shingle to alleviate the water problems

what you cannot see from the photos is the access is as bad as I have seen
tight side alley and up about 7 steps just to get to the patio level
if the correct bricks had been used this would never have happened
LLL

[davowolf]

Here's why I'd like some proper bricks - this is what happens when you try to do a retaining wall in LBC facers.

Blown bricks