Hi
A sizeable part of our outside bathroom windows sill has fallen off exposing the steel reinforcement within. I have no experience at all of working with concrete. Is it possible to repair a concrete sill in this condition - or would it have to be replaced?
Ben
a diy'er like myself would attempt to repair it, making sure there's no loose or dusty bits before applying a bag of concrete mix (from any of the big diy merchants) with a piece of timber batten or boxing in for a straight edge... while being given verbal abuse by the Mrs for being such a tight b*astard & to 'Do The Right Thing' & replace it!
i'm afraid w/o seeing it i can't say but a cause for concern is, if a sizeable part of a steel reinforced lintel exposed to the elements has come off... there might be other problems like damp penetrating. You'll need to find out if the remaining lintel is structurally sound & what other problems there are. Builders merchant sell reinforced concrete lintels for less then a tenner... but taking the old one out & putting a new one in might not be that easy depending on the window & brickwork around it, best to ask someone round to have a look & get 3 quotes. From my experience, windows & doors when done correctly will last a long time, if not damp/cold/wet will penetrare & you'll end up with a much bigger problem next time!
alex.
As it is the sill, not the lintel, at least it isn't likely to lead to any major structural problems. Like large chunks of wall falling out.
It sounds like the steel has corroded, forcing off the concrete as it expanded.
In which case, the corrosion is deep seated and will simply force off any replacement concrete. Treating the corrosion is going to be nigh on impossible. So replacement is the permanent answer.
I'm assuming that it is a first floor bathroom - lucky the bits of concrete falling off didn't hit anyone.. And really, you don't want replacement concrete to provide a second opportunity.
Reinforced concrete is usually a sod to drill - so putting in anchors, to give any replacement concrete something to hang on to, is going to be hard work.
Nah, I would probably bite the bullet and replace it. However, I obviously haven't seen it, so that is based on my mental image of what you have.
Thanks for this. I think the idea I had that I could somehow bodge fix it has now been laid to rest.
There is no weather getting in, thankfully. I may not get around to doing anything about it for a while but I'll watch it carefully to see if it gets worse.
Ben.
Good
This may be the case. There is exposed steel and it is rusty.
Ground floor. No injury occured!
I am convinced. Thanks very much for your help.
Ben
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