Weep Holes Filled - Need advice?

Hi all,

I was hoping to get some advice on a weep hole issue at my PPOR. The house is on a concrete slab - brick veneer about 20 years old and generally in good condition.

Long story short some of the weep holes were filled with expanding foam. I have done my best to remove this but in some of the weep holes I can see the foam has gone behind the bricks or damaged the flashing when removed. Some of the weep holes it was not very deep and easily removed.

Fortunately we haven't had any issues with dampness I'm more trying to proactively fix things before they become a bigger issue in the future.

My understanding of weep holes is that they are for draining water and to keep the air inside the wall cavity circulated with the outside to avoid dampness?

I called a subfloor ventilation company in Sydney and they basically said it's not an issue just make there are no roof leaks but I'm not 100% sure. I asked whether an airbrick would help but they said that wouldn't allow water to drain.

Anyway, I'm a little out of my depth and wanted to get some advice? Originally I was thinking about getting something like https://www.masters.com.au/product/900051228/abey-brick-vent-230x75mm installed in multiple locations but now I'm not sure what to do.

Cheers,

Grimey
 
Why were they filled? Drill it out to clear them. Only 110 mm.

Water runs down the external skin of the bricks and may pond at the flashing which should direct the moisture to the weep holes.

brick vents are for subfloor ventilation so will be ineffective.
 
Gday grimey

Drill it out as Scott said, use a smaller drill bit than the brick space and run it around to clear. Even a small chisel could get it out. You could try mrtho or turps, something that will eat the foam. i don't think that product from masters will be much help, just make a lot more work for you
 
Thanks guys. Sorry about the slow reply. I'm not sure why they were filled? pests maybe?

I did use a combination of a stanley knife, small chisel and managed to get most of it out of each weep hole.. but with some weep holes I can see foam behind the bricks but probably not much I can do? And some of the flashing at the back is a bit damaged from removing the foam.

I thought it may be useful to have the air-bricks to have ventilation still but maybe creating extra work for no gain :)

I'll try some of this stuff to see how it goes-- https://www.masters.com.au/product/...cone-acrylic-caulk-foam-sealant-remover-125ml
 
I agree with Scott. You have been in the building game a few years haven't you from your posts

If you have a hilti supplier nearby they used to have a foam cleaner/remover spray that you could try. That's masters one could be the same thing. Test it with oj first to make sure it's good quality!;)
 
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