Wall tie detection

Discussion in 'Builders' Talk' started by havent got a clue, Oct 28, 2004.

  1. havent got a clue

    havent got a clue New Member

    Does anyone know where I can hire a metal detector to locate where my old wall ties are.
    Thanks
     
  2. Sam Dingle

    Sam Dingle New Member

    why do you want to do that?
     
  3. havent got a clue

    havent got a clue New Member

    So I can put the new ones in,and then take these old ones out.They are not in a good pattern,a bit all over the place.
     
  4. Dewy

    Dewy New Member

    Wall ties are there to hold the inner and outer walls together.
    They are not intended to have a set pattern.
    It's not as if anyone is going to see inside a cavity wall is it?
     
  5. havent got a clue

    havent got a clue New Member

    No.The old ones are rusty and have cracked the walls in various places.I need a metal detector to find out exactly where they all are,so I can take them out.If I leave them in they will eventually all rust,so I may as well do the whole lot now.Also I don`t want to put the new ones in straight on top of these old ones.
     
  6. swelec

    swelec New Member

    This has to be a wind up
     
  7. Dewy

    Dewy New Member

    Galvanised wall ties rust?
    I've used bent wire coat hangers before when I had run out.
    The walls havent fallen down 'yet'. ;)
     
  8. Guest

    It did sound a bit crazy to me when I first read this in a magazine a few months ago...But apparently it is starting to cause some problems when the tie corrodes, the mortar around the tie brakes down, then in turn causes the wall to weaken.........................
     
  9. Charlie Far!ey

    Charlie Far!ey New Member

    If you take out a tie (a butterfly tie) the opening will be 3" wide minimum and if you pull it, it may pull mortar and brickwork into the cavity as well as tear out the batts, as well as pull the batts on to the cold face if done from the outside. You are either too stupid to be typing on a computer or the result of mad professors sick experiment.

    The tie has a drip on it that is either a twisted piece of wire, a twist in the wire or strip and others which could enlarge the dimension of the tie so a hole about 3" long by 3" round will have to be made to satisfy your ill founded curiosity.

    Open up a pot noodle and watch TV and when Mummy comes home she will get you some of your favourite Jammy Dodgers and stop playing with the computer.
     
  10. taffy

    taffy New Member

    think a few of you pro builders out there should do a bit of research on this it seams to be big at the moment a bit like the dpc injection craze of the 80`s my step son went to buy his council house 18 months ago refused a mortgage because of brick tie corrosion the old type brick ties i.e. the ones that where just a flat bar cut at each end and then galved are rusting they expand with the rust and split the morter joints it`s costing some councils millions to replace our local council in wrexham is going bust because of it. so sorry it`s not a wind up but a good money maker for some one .....oh but what a job
     
  11. havent got a clue

    havent got a clue New Member

    Thank you Taffy.It is NOT a wind up.There are cracks all over the walls caused by the ties rusting,expanding and cracking the mortar.I hired a metal detector from a local tool shop,this is exactly what they bought it for,and have located where the old ties are.I have some new stainless helical ties to put in,then just need to take the old ones out.Not easy,have done a few by drilling around them and taking out with pliers.
     
  12. Guest

    Well said Taffy, seems like the old boys don't like things they have never heard off...or maybe they are just not the pro's they think they are
    .....................................................................................................................................................
     
  13. Lightning McQueen

    Lightning McQueen New Member

    Yep!
    According to the Building Research Establishment wall tie corrosion is set to become something of a problem in this country in years to come.

    The galvanised coatings on some cheap wall ties that have been used over the years were not up to scratch. Other ties have bitumen coatings and these are starting to break down. Result is that the part of the tie embedded in the outer leaf starts to corrode due to moisture penetration. Corrosion = expansive reaction. Horizontal cracks in the bed joints result.
     
  14. Tony R

    Tony R New Member

    I was speaking to someone who's interested in buying a house a few doors up from me today. His surveyor has warned him of possible problems. He said the interior blocks were made using ash from the rail works at Swindon and there's a possibility that something in the ash could cause the galvanise to break down. Surveyor is probably just covering himself (I hope) as there's no cracks in mine and its been up since 1934
     
  15. Tony R

    Tony R New Member

  16. wardoss

    wardoss New Member

    Isn't it scary how some people probably in the trade are unaware of the problems associated with post war housing.

    Like you have said on here the wall ties corrode and fail. This can further he exacerbated by some of the injected insulation which actually expand putting the external skin under further pressure.

    Anybody also aware of the serious problems a lack of roof space ventilation can cause
     
  17. T

    T Member

    tis true old style wall ties do corrode. That is why we were always told, while doing c&g's, never bend the ties. They were coated in a galvanised solution. They are no stainless steel.
     
  18. Wobbler

    Wobbler New Member

    I had this problem when we bought a thirties bungalow seven years ago. There was a retention on the mortgage until we had all the wall ties replaced because, as previous replies confirm, they rust, expand and break the pointing out eventually. Our builder called in a specialist firm who supplied the materials to replace the old ties. It cost us about a £1000 to remove and replace in (what was at the time) a three bed bungalow.
     

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