How to identify leaky parts of an external brick wall?

I live in a large ~100 year old building with a brick facade. Multiple tenants in the building have leaks into their unit during rainstorms, me included.

I’d like to make sure the parts of the facade that are leaky get identified and fixed. Is there a standard way to identify them? Is thermal detection practical to do this through sheetrock? Or another method?

We have a facade report from the facade inspection safety program that identified a number of cracks, but definitely not all the leaks.

ericlewis

in General Discussion 1 month ago

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maggie.oldfather | 1 month ago

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If you have the FISP report, have you done the recommended repairs and are still having leaks? Water can be incredibly sneaky but if you know how your facade is deteriorating based on your FISP report you can probably make some guesses as to where problems still exist. Based on your own experience and those of your fellow tenants you can also make some educated guesses about where the leaking is, but the long-and-short of it is that you likely need to do a campaign of repointing.

Brownstone Home Inspection | 1 month ago

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Many times you can’t actually see the location of the leak. You will look at caulking or even mortar joints and all looks good but in truth, a side of the joint is unadhered and water will get in.

I provide roof inspection services and as a result, i perform leak investigations. A roof inspection is $600. As i do that i look at all elements on the roof including the parapet walls, skylights, chimneys, any other penetrations, the condition of the neighbor’s roof and i will look at elements on the front and rear of the building – especially if i am told in advance the client thinks the problem is on the front or rear wall of the building.

I have been inspecting (and repairing) roofs professionally or managing roofing projects since 1990 as a building professional (with a break from 2005 until two years ago as i was a full time restoration contractor). Professionals who manage buildings, walk roofs regularly looking for problems before they become problems. Homeowners wait until water is dripping down into the master bedroom. If you have insulation on your roof, the homeowner approach is bad because the insulation will get ruined and the repair gets pricey.

My roof on my house is 36 years old. The previous owner maintained the hell out of this roof and so have i (it is not a lot of work). If i wanted to remain in this house for another 20 years and keep the roof, i can easily make it last. But it takes regular inspections. Homeowners wait until the roof is in such bad shape it must be replaced.

If you have an 8 year old roof on your house now, now is a good time to have it professionally inspected. It is not too late to use maintenance to stop issues. Also know that many 12 plus year old roofs can still be saved. And for 20 plus year old roofs that are shot, there are still fixes for people on a budget.

An indepent roof inspector/leak investigator will look at everything and represents the homeowner. Most of todays roofers look at only the roof when many problems are on areas or elements around the roof. The roofer represents himself and is less concerned about the other elements on the roof and none of them guarantee repairs as a result.

And the parapet wall inspections? It is looking like most brownstones do not need them so if i am doing a roof inspection and a parapet wall inspection is needed, i toss it in at no additional charge. In other words, if you think you need a parapet wall inspection, hire me for a roof inspection. (I charge less to inspect both than the people doing just the parapet walls and guess what, i have been working in this industry longer than any of them)

(Get two neighbors together on a block and i will drop the price of an inspection for both homeowners. Get three together and i can go a tad lower still).

Steve
Brownstonehomeinspection.com

cate | 1 month ago

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Generally speaking, a brick facade has to be repointed every so often or it will leak. That said, leaks can stem from other causes such as an overflowing gutter, worn out roof, or improper flashing or caulking around windows.

Brownstone Home Inspection | 1 month ago

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Call this person:

Steve
Www.Brownstonehomeinspection.com.

Its actually me. I can prob identify the sources of the leaks without using thermal. But i have thermal.