Expansion joint in brickwork

[Andrew Mawson]

Shortly after the Christmas pud has settled down I'll be starting work on my new garage. The flank wall is 'half brick' with pillars ie approx 100mm thick. Due to its length (7 metre) it needs an expansion joint. I understand that the conventional wisdom is to tie the two bit of wall together with normal cavity wall ties 'along the length' of the wall, with one side wrapped in a bit of dpc to let it slide.

But what is used as the 'spacer' between the two bit of 'end to end' wall? (ok I know it needs sealing with a flexible mastic but what is the filling in the sandwich ?)

Andrew Mawson

[Peter Taylor]

Flexcell - it's a bitumen impregnated soft board.

[nightjar]

My builders used a metal strip that screwed to the existing wall. That had a matching piece, with protruding ties, that was built into the new wall. Apparently, the two parts have some movement relative to each other, but they still hold the walls together against gross movements.

Colin Bignell

[Andrew Mawson]

"nightjar .uk.com>"

Colin thanks for your reply.

That is the wall starter tie kit that allows up and down movement yet holds the new brickwork to an exisitng wall - I'm using those tying the new walls to the house, but it's not quite the question that I asked !.

What I'm trying to find out is what is used as the spacer in lateral expansion joints in long walls whilst they are being built. The two sections of wall butt close together end to end, are prevented from moving sidewise by normal wall ties fully bedded in a mortar joint on one wall section, but wrapped in dpc in the other wall section to allow it to slide along the length of the wall. Finally the joint is mastic filled to make it weatherproof, but during building 'something' is used to ensure an 8mm gap in the mortar.

Logically it has to be firm enough to keep the mortar out while setting the bricks, but able to be squashed as the wall length changes with expansion.

If I cannot find what is 'proper' I intend to use slices of expanded polystyrene.

Andrew Mawson

[Peter Taylor]

Andrew Mawson wrote

Andrew - I've had several occasions lately when nobody has replied to messages. I gave the answer to this question at 11.10pm last night and I can see it on my machine, but I'm wondering if I'm the only one who can! :o) Could somebody confirm they can see it too please.

BTW - the answer is Flexcell - it's a bitumen-impregnated soft board

[Will Dean]

I can (via Gradwell's news servers) see this and your previous message.

Cheers,

Will

[Andrew Mawson]

Peter,

Thanks for that link - just what I needed. No your original post doesn't appear to have got to my news server (news.bt.com)

Andrew

[Soup]

Can see your original post dated/timed 23:10 18th Dec 2003 on news-text.blueyonder.co.uk

[Peter Taylor]

Ah so - ziss ist werry interesting! Good old BT

Thanks to Will & Soup Peter

[Bob Minchin]

3 of your postings in this thread are showing on NTL (text.news.ntlworld.com)

Bob