FAQs about missing, blocked,or buried weep holes in brick or masonry veneer walls and the the risk of water damage, mold, rot and other building problem.

Page top photo: too small and totally-blocked brick veneer weep opening means wall damage is likely.

Blocked or Missing Brick Veneer Weep Opening Q&A

Details of adding weep openings and drains in brick or stone veneer walls

The cut off in the black plastic in image. This image there is a scratches but others have holes done by the drill.

Some of them the upper part of the veneer filled up with morter. Thanks a lot for your help! On 2020-05-28 by Anonymous -

Reply by (mod) -

OK Anon,

So for this situation you may want to install retrofit weep hole covers; see the products available at

BRICK WALL DRAIN, FLASHING, VENT SOURCES

inspectapedia.com/structure/Brick_Wall_Weep_Vent_Screens.php

In my photo below the left hand gray plastic weep opening screen is intended for retrofit while the right-hand model is one inserted during new construction.

You want the left-hand model in our photo above.

Essentially you use a masonry drill at mortar joints to make the opening and insert the weep hole screen.

There are limitations in effectiveness of adding drain openings if in-wall flashing was omitted, if the wall cavity bottom was overfilled with mortar, etc.

 

Accidentally removed flashing at brick veneer wall bottom

Hello sir, in my house the weep holes was clogged by mortar I opened it but I am worried because I accidentally ripped off pieces of the flashing underneath the brick any advise will be appreciated. Thanks - On 2020-05-26 by Anonymous

Reply by- by (mod) -

Anon

Did you actually pull the entire piece of flashing out of the wall? That seems unlikely and almost impossible.

Or did you cut off the flange at the very outer edge of the flashing that was bent down and extended slightly past the face of the wall?

Followup by Anonymous

Yes what I did I drilled the clogged the weep holes to remove the mortar from it and while I was doing that, I found the blastic cover got holes and cut off from my drilling. Thanks a lot for your help.

Accidentally sealed some weep holes with grout. How do I remove it?

Hello, I accidentally sealed a few weep holes on the porch with a MorFlexx Grout Repair. The porch is about 4-5' wide and 3' deep.

How do I remove it, and do I need to? The rest of the house is fine. Thank you. On 2020-04-07 by Anna

Reply by by (mod) -

Anna

One or two sealed weep holes in the veneer is not likely to be critical as long as they're not immediately adjacent to one another.

If accidentally sealed weep openings as as you've described, I would probably simply try to drill out the sealant that I pushed into the opening.

I might then use a bit of hooked copper wire such as #12 copper electrical wire (bare copper) to try to pull out remains of the caulk from the weep drain opening.

The stone facing lacked weep openings. Someone said not to add them as that made more trouble.

We are looking at a home build in 2003, the inspector noted the stone face lacks weep holes. We've read not to install as you may cause more issues.

We pulled out of buying the home, until other inspection issues could be further explored, however this is one we are unsure how to fix.

Really like the home, just debating on how to tackle this.

Stone appears intact w/ intact mortar without any interior issues. What should we be looking forj? Were there types of installation that didn't require a drainage system? Or does this need a rip and replace correctly? On 2020-02-1 by Stone Veneer

Reply by (mod) -

Stone

It would be helpful to have details about how the stone veneer and wall behind it were constructed, whether or not a drainage plane was installed, and how the veneer is supported, above or below ground, etc.

Properly located and installed weep openings reduce rather than increase damage to buildings, but there are potential issues with or without weep openings, such as for homes located in a flood plain.

No one with any sense would condemn nor approve the wall about which you ask when there's no information about its construction.

Does a limestone veneer brick home need weep openings?

I have a 2 Story Limestone Veneer Brick home located in Texas Hill Country where I retired in 2015. The home is around 8-10 years old. In the last 2 years I've noticed a diagonal crack and separation from top to bottom of home on South side.

It doesn't appear to be a foundation problem since no jammed doors or windows.

I noticed though that their are no weep holes.

Should they (weep holes) be added before re-tucking and pointing the mortar? Also what is your opinion about weep inserts as to keeping insects/varmits out?

James L Gayhart On 2019-05-17 by realcounty1 -

Reply by (mod) -

Stone veneers need to have a drainage system and the inserts that you talked about her usually good for keeping those openings clear.

But that would not be likely to explain the diagonal cracking. I would look closely at the support for the veneer as well as looking carefully at the foundation itself.

Question: Leaks & mold growth in brick veneer walls that admit water during flooding

if water enters the weep holes during a spell of high water, and allows some water into the building. if the sheet rock is not wet, will mold still grow inside the wall? if so how should i dry it out? (Mar 13, 2012) WEill said:

Water rises above the weep holes when it rains in my backyard for several hours. Water seeps in from somewhere and covers most of the room it enters. After the rain stops and the water level outside recedes, the water drains from the room in the same direction from where it came. I thought that it was coming through the weep holes. What is wrong? (Feb 18, 2013) Levertis Steele said:

Reply: lower the water or raise the house

Will:

Even with a lot of experience with mold detection and remediation in buildings I can't say for certain that mold will or won't grow at a specific location on a house I've never seen. But certanly drywall is very mold friendly. If drywall is wet or even if it's not, if there is water inside a wall cavity that sends moisture higher in the wall cavity to where drywall is located, you can expect problematic mold growth to show up.

You can explore the suspect area for visible mold by making a test cut into the most-suspect location. Check the cavity side of the drywall for visible mold and also check nearby wood framing and insulation.

Levertis:

Periodic area flooding that is submerging a building wall to heights above the top of the foundation wall suggests some more serious steps are needed to control floodwaters, or if that's not going to be reasonable or reliable, to live with water entering the property, structural design changes are needed.

In an area of very limited water and rot problems on a flat site in New York, I addressed a water entry and related rot/insect damage problem by chopping off the bottom two feet of a wood frame wall and building up the wall base with a couple of courses of solid concrete block.

 

Question: Masonry wall weep holes vs Wind-blown rain water entry

We have water after a blowing rain coming over the brick ledge which sits on the basement foundation.

The water did not drain out due to the builder installing the flashing wrong it is on the outside of the tyvak.the moisture caused the vapor barrier to condense and now we have a mold problem. can we remove several couses of brick to repair the flashing?

a builder wants to remove all the brick around the house which is very expensive and money we don't have as we are senior citizens and in bad health.

a masonary man says he can remove several courses by leaving some of the bricks every 5 feet.can this be done? - (Sept 22, 2012) dena

Reply:

I think your mason may have more experience with brick veneer than the builder, and his suggestion is worth a try. But be careful. 5 feet as the drainage opening interval may be too big a gap.

An unknown is the number and spacing of ties to the wall structure. If the wall is not supported enough and thus cracks you'll end up removing it all.

Try working on just one segment at a time and perhaps leave more bricks loose but in place, removing the temporary support ones just briefly during repair and re- flashing. Send me some photos and perhaps we can comment further.

 

Question: Flashing snafus mean leaks at windows improperly blamed on weep holes

I have weep holes above my windows and door.

The rear of the house is exposed to blowing wind and rain.

I have leaks in three windows, one easily seen dripping from the top window frame the others I suspect are running down around the edge of the window and coming out below the window from the lower trim, running down the inside walls.

I had the windows caulked and as an add on the contractor, as a favor, added metal wrap to the lintil and caulked around that too.

First really heavy wind and rain storm came and now the leaks seem worse.

I suspect the flashing must have been run out through the lentil and that wrap and caulk job are the reason it's worse. Am I correct in that thought?

Should I take the wrap off of the lintels?

How should I check for proper flashing as I had leaks before the wrap and caulk job? 4-17-2014 Ted

Reply:

Ted, I agree that it sounds as if the flashing above windows and doors was omitted or not properly installed or punched or damaged during construction.

I can't see how to fix this easily without some exploring into the wall cavity to see what's going on.

Check out Carson Dunlop Associates' top sketch above to see the wall bottom flashing in a brick veneer wall. This same detail should be used over building wall penetrations such as windows or doors.

Keep in mind that even if the flashing is properly installed, if a lot of water is leaking into the wall from higher-up, the water might be running down the wall sheathing and behind the flashing and out from underneath it.

That diagnosis is what's needed before we try to fix anything.

Watch out: Certainly we don't want to just close off weep openings or caulk in the wrong place or we risk either water accumulation in the wall or severe rust and lintel damage.

Never caulk the lintel over a windor or door; doing so traps water in the wall cavity, rusting the lintel and damaging the wall.

See MASONRY FACADE / WALL, LINTEL & BROWNSTONE DAMAGE  for examples of what happens if you make that mistake.

 

Question: do weep hole vents extend from foundation to roof line?

Have you ever heard of a weep hole extending in a straight vertical line from the foundation to the roof? 4/18/2014 Rodney Thompson

Reply:

Rodney,

A weep opening in a brick veneer wall is placed at intervals and at one or more location heights always including the wall bottom and possibly at higher points in the wall depending on how the wall is constructed.

The open space behind a brick veneer wall is typically intermittently partially obstructed by extrusions of mortar in the veneer, depending on how the wall was built, but hopefully nowhere is the air space totally obstructed across the whole width of the wall - so moisture can find its way to a weep opening for exit.

SO yes the air space behind a veneer wall extends, though irregularly, from wall base to wall top. But no, not explicitly in a "straight line".

The "wall top" may not extend to the roof line - that depends on how the building is designed and how high the veneer wall extends.

 

Question: What to do about dirt coming out of retaining wall drain openings

Dirt is coming out of retaining wall weep holes in patio. I have tiny patio that abuts earth -- the top of the wall is at ground level of a row of neighbors that live up a hill behind me. I had this home 15 years. In last month I now have large piles of Dirt at openings of the 3 weep holes (I have photos) .

We recently had 3 days torrential rain; also possible there are mice (I live very near a river in a small town and river redraws rats and mice) also last year neighbor behind me built picket fence at top of wall (the earth behind wall is a dirt path with landscaping that leads out to parking area.

What would suddenly be forcing so much dirt to come out of the weep holes at bottom of my retaining wall? (June 1, 2014) Kathryn Mundy

Reply:

Kathryn,

It's common for soil to wash through drain holes in a retaining wall, especially after heavy rains. If the wall has not moved, bulged, cracked, then it sounds as if the drainage openings are doing their job.

I'm not sure why there would be a sudden change, perhaps settlement or a surge in water behind the wall.

To avoid confusing other readers, a retaining wall is NOT part of a building structure, it is a wall built to hold back earth.

See RETAINING WALL DESIGNS, TYPES, DAMAGE

 

Question: When to close off weep or drain openings in walls

I am converting my front porch into a room.

The contractors says we can leave the existing brick walls with the weeping holes in place. He wants to keep the wall, and built over it. Some people tell me we should have the brick wall removed so moisture will not built up and create mold.

The contractors says its not necessary. I don't know what is correct. What should I do? (June 4, 2014) Virginia P. said:

Reply: dangerous to seal weep openings

Virginia,

I don't understand how your existing porch is constructed nor where the weep holes are located in it.

If you are describing drain openings in a masonry wall that is earth filled, over which a porch slab was poured, leaving them in place is harmless.

In any event the intent of drain or weep openings is to allow rain or other water penetration to exit the structure.

Sealing them, in general, risks future trapped water and a moisture problem or in freezing climates, frost damage.

 

Question: increasing the length of brick wall weep tubes: owner pouring water behind brick to test for leaks

Stucco Tec / I am a brick mason we are laying 60000 brick and using weep tube the home owner has been running water behind are brick to see if the weep tub is working 80% of them are working the others are plugged with mortar that has fallen behind the brick which will happen.

I am now going to make my tubes longer what do you think is a good idea. Thank You Stucco Tec (July 22, 2014)

Reply:

Anon,

I think the owner is not doing a very good thing to pour water in volumes far greater and at a greater rate than the brick veneer wall design would anticipate - a result risks leaks into the wall cavities, floors below, mold, insulation damage.

It is common for some weep hole openings to become clogged with fallen mortar. If it's just a very few and if weep openings are frequent enough along the wall bottom, it's not likely to be a concern. More important is proper flashing at the wall base to be sure that water is directed out to the weep openings.

However if you detect a clogged weep opening before the mortar is hard-set you might be able to just clear the existing opening or cut it bigger and insert one of the retrofit weep opening products in this article.

Longer tubes at weep openings may still become mortar clogged and certainly you don't want the end of the tube to be jammed up against the sheathing of the exterior wall.

What do you think about using some of the other weep opening products shown in the article above. There are products for both original installation and for retrofit.

 

Question: how to stop interior wall rot & plaster damage behind brick walls in Salt Lake City

What can I do to stop the wall rot (interior crumbling plaster & also some crumbling of interior ferrocement) behind my 1938 brick - lath walls?

The brick frame house has no weep holes, and the problem is only on the west side along about a 15 feet section, all above grade. I think condensation may be part of the issue - this is in Salt Lake City and driving rains are not frequent.

I have had the house for 24 years and the problem has been continuous - I repaired the interior plaster several times, then gave up & hung cloth over the mess. No mildew or mold, but it is a significant cosmetic problem.

Is there any way I can add ventilation from the inside of the house to the airspace behind the brick? It is so arid here (average humidity 15% - 20%) wouldn't it be possible to ventilate the cavity from inside of the wall? - (Sept 1, 2014) Susanora

Reply:

Rot, which refers to organic materials like wood, is caused by a combination of water and wood destroying fungi, often basidiomycetes, sometimes more serious Meruliporia.

The right repair is to stop the source of water entry and to determine if structural repairs are needed.

I'd also look for insect damage in the same areas.

If you think condensation is occurring in the wall from indoor humidity I'd look for and fix any sources of indoor moisture and I'd seal penetrations into the wall such as around receptacles.

I would not try venting the wall cavity to the indoors - you may invite IAQ problems.

I would look at some of the brick veneer drain retrofit products we describe in this article.

 

Question: why do I need flashing as well as brick wall weep or drain openings?

Why is there both weeping holes AND flashing? Can't water get out through flashing alone? I am not understanding the logic: do they both perform the same function? Thanks! - (Sept 6, 2014) JJ said:

Reply:

No the flashing would be sealed by the mortar course.

The weep holes are the water exit; the flashing is the water director.

 

Question: ok to omit masonry wall drainage openings in short sections?

I have a long brick exterior wall. Near the end of the wall is a double door and then just a few more lengths of brick prior to the termination of the wall into hardi-plank. Is it needed to install a weep hole in the brick in this short length. There isn't one currently.

I feel there is plenty of weep holes on this wall on the other side of the door to allow for air pressure equalization, but I don't see how moisture could escape between the door and the end of the wall (moisture can't go up and over the door opening to the other side to travel out of those weep holes). - 7 January 2015 Anonymous

Reply:

Anon

The weep holes' job is not air pressure equalization so much as to provide water drainage for water that penetrates the masonry veneer.

Obviously we don' t need continuous weep openings at the bottom of a masonry wall, the openings are spaced at intervals. However an individual wall section bordered by other structural elements, that is not connected to drained wall sections, should have its own weep openings even if only one is fitted.

Having a weep hole in even that short wall section would reduce the chances of water accumulation therein and thus related building damage.

You can make a further risk or needs assessment if you can inspect the building interior walls below the section you are talking about - e.g. from a basement or crawl space where you'd look for leak signs, and you can also assess risk by noting conditions outside that increase the risk of leaks into that section of wall cavity such as an un-flashed or leaky window, door, or cracks in the brickwork.

...

Continue reading at BRICK VENEER WEEPS BLOCKED or MISSING - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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