Masonry Magazine March 2012 Page. 29
MASONRY COMPUTER ESTIMATING
TRADESMEN'S SOFTWARE, Inc.
HOS3DE
ON SCREEN 3D ESTIMATOR
TM
# DRIP DIVERTS WATER FROM FACE OF WALL
Figure 1.
CMU walls can be filled with reinforcing steel and grout. As such, they can also function as load-bearing walls. Water must be resisted at the outside face of these walls. Sometimes, water repellents and masonry sealers are used. Flashings are provided at the same locations as in veneer construction. However, single-wythe walls do not have a drainage cavity other than the inside voids in the CMU or brick. Therefore, water has many locations where it can be absorbed or can bridge across the width of the masonry veneer to the building interior.
# Flashing components
IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND how to properly flash a masonry wall, a review of terms both commonplace and specific to vertical walls should be given consideration.
# Drips
DRIPS ARE IMPORTANT because they divert water away from the surface of the wall (see Figure 1). These become more critical with flat wall surfaces. Older buildings used masonry components such as ledges and water tables to divert water that flowed down the surface of the building away from the exterior walls. Many times, drips are opposed by the designer for aesthetic reasons. When flashings are specified to be terminated within the face of the masonry veneer and not "daylighted" to the exterior, water may flow off of the edge of the flashing and be retained within the wall.
# Weeps
THE MOST COMMON TYPES of weeps are plastic tubes and prefabricated plastic or mesh materials that are placed in head joints (vertical mortar joints). Effective weeps can also be provided by leaving head joints open. However, weeps also create openings where wind-driven rain can enter the wall and thus expose the flashing to more water. The wall flashings have to be installed well to prevent potential water intrusion from creating a problem. If the wall surface will be exposed to wind-driven rain, such as at upper stories of buildings or at coastal locations, the weeps should be turned downward or otherwise baffled to prevent water from entering. Plastic weep tubes with downward curvatures can be used. Prefabricated mesh materials placed in mortar head joints in lieu of mortar look nice on paper but have limitations in the www.masonrymagazine.com
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READER SERVICE #163
March 2012
MASONRY 27