Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Oct 16, 2011 9:18 am Hi, Hoping for some answers / advice. I have a Plastic 2500L slim line water tank next to my garage brickwall. I have noted that the brickwork mortar (where the water tank rests against the brickwork) well where it is resting within inches of the brickwork. That the mortar is a darker colour, whilst the rest of mybrickwork mortar is a lighter colour. (this is noticeable on the other side of the brickwork inside my garage too!!) I have drilled a few holes where my brickwork mortar is of the darker colour (from inside my garage) - and my fears have been confirmed that the mortar is not powder dry, it is slightly damp. Noting also that my water tank is about 1.8m high, and that the top 6 or so brick courses above the water tank are dry and not discoloured. So obviously I have some serious concerns about rectifying this. Has anyone got a similair story?, My 2 theories are: 1. The cold water in the water tank is radiating coldness into the mortar (less likely) 2. rain overflow is washing over the top of my watertank and down trickling down my brickwork/mortar. (Even though I have conducted water tests - where water from my gutters flows through the PVC pipe directly into the water tank catchment inlet without overflow of water, I can only assume that in Very Heavy Downpours, the rain water is somehow washing over the top / back of my tank and running down the brickwork instead of correctly flowing into the inlet catchment. (my overflow outlet is away from the brickwork via PVC pipe, so when tank fills no water from this outlet hits near my brickwall) Whats the best solution?? 1. - Empty and Move my water tank away from the brickwall by a foot or more, allow breathing spacing for the mortar to hopefully dry out over summer. (and leaving that space so that future rainfall overflow does not splash down my brickwall). 2. - Leave the tank where it is & Place some colourbond corrugation or PVC sheet etc between my tank and the brickwall, to stop any rainwater directly trickling down my brickwork. (but thinking this might not provide breathing space needed for my brick / mortar to dry out...??) 3. - any other thoughts or advice are welcome Cheers Rick Re: Is my watertank causing my brick mortar to soften/discol 2Oct 16, 2011 9:42 am Sounds a bit like wind blown rain not drying because of lack of ventilation. As its the garage its not super urgent so see what happens over the summer. If its still bothering you probably move the tank is going to be better than installing something which is only going to decrease the ventilation. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Is my watertank causing my brick mortar to soften/discol 3Oct 16, 2011 10:16 am Maybe you could Spray the Bricks & Mortar with a Moisture Fix type product? My father in law purchased something similar from Bunnings to waterproof his mothers brick house for flooding. I thought it allows for curing of the cement. Hi, I am planning to select San Selmo reclaimed original for the fascade of my build. I have seen many photos on line of the brick varying from a rustic to a neat finish.… 0 4569 Building Standards; Getting It Right! Hi, sorry if this is the wrong place - Iām new to the property/building journey (trying to buy my first home) so not sure where/who to go with these sorts of… 0 19134 2 8861 |