If you have a brick rowlock detail at the foundation of your house does it make sense to seal the top of the rowlock to keep driving rain from saturating the brick and causing moisture problems in the cavity behind the brick?
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I covered this in your other question you posted 3 minutes prior... really though, you need to show us a drawing or give a better description of the exact detail that is being incorporated in your house.
Edited 9/29/2004 8:27 am ET by DIRISHINME
We're actually going to need more info. As irish said, photos would likely help. Was this project built per drawings or to some sort of written specification? Knowing that will tell us more.
By "rowlock" you are meaning that the first course is "halves," which may or may not have been turned butt-end out, correct? Some folks use "rowlock" when they mean a "soldier" course--that's bricks turned up on edge, narrow edge out (as opposed to a "sailor" course, with the wide face out).
Either would seem to be an odd detail for a brick veneer. The way I leared, you rowlock veneer the same as a double-wythe wall, every sixth course. (On an actual, all-brick wall, the two planes--wythes--of brick are tied together by spanning a whole brick across, leaving a cavity in the middle; that, on the outside looks like a "half" brick.)
I've seen the rolock look done by laying four normal in a course and the a half butt out. This is repeated every four to six courses. Kind of a fake rowlock in an otherwise normal brick veneer. Can't see any reason why that would require any special sealing.
Could he be talking about a corbelled course? Something like a coin, but just one or two courses along the bottom? That might need sealing if corbelled out far enough to expose the holes in the brick, but then that is bad brick work to start with.
Dave
Could he be talking about a corbelled course? Something like a coin, but just one or two courses along the bottom? That might need sealing if corbelled out
Yep, that's what I was thinking, and was unsure.
Doesn't help that "mason" is its own language; widths are wythes, that coin is written quoin (for no apparent reason) . . .
In the olden days, when folks were expected to "come up," a body had to learn this with brick dust caking the sweat around your eyes, half busted, half cracked fingers--from the combination of heave ho-ing a couple hundredweights, busting all those halves, mediocre gloves, and a move it-when-I'm-talking-to-you, boy learning environment. Ya know, the "good ol' days" <g> . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Rowlocks are basically half a soldier course - 1/2 - 2/3 of a brick, laid with the good end out, but on end. Think you're referring to a header course. They are a typical detail under a window for example, or to finish off a veneer that stops part way up a wall. In either case they generally slope down to help shed any water, with a 3/4" or so overhang. The only possible reason to use them on the bottom of a veneer is to make up a severe shortage on the foundation that couldn't be made up before they got to the first opening, but even then they should be in the same plane as the rest of the veneer. And this would then be the course that would have the weepholes in it. Oh, but wait, this guy didn't put those in, did he?
And we always flashed with a copper-covered tar paper along the foundation, above and below any openings. Brick ties into framing every 3-5 courses.
Yep, I confused header with rowlock.
(Here's a quick link I found: http://www.savvyhomeadvice.com/reference/bricksize.htm)
Which makes sense, now that I think of it, it's a "rowlock sill," not a "header" (I do know some brickers who think that's the solider course over "won dem fancy winders" . . . )
Makes me wonder how many folks working with mortar everyday would even know the difference between "flemish" and "english" bond . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
"Makes me wonder how many folks working with mortar everyday would even know the difference between "flemish" and "english" bond . . . "
And with all the other complaints around here, it's starting to make me wonder if I should get back into it. Of course, as I close in on my 50s I at least have the wisdom to question that thought before I act on it!
Thanks for that explanation.
Now I know something else about a trade I can't do.
Dave
The explanation you gave of a rowlock is what I was referrring to because we used a rowlock at the top of the brick where we transition back to vinyl siding. Our application is a little different because we used ICF (insulated concrete forms) with a brick ledge and ran the waterproofing membrane on the basement walls up and over the brick ledge about 6-8" above the top of the brick ledge. I believe the mason and I believed that this served as base flashing. We filled the joint between the rowlock and the ICF wall with foam-in-place insulation and the siding contractor placed about a 3-4" piece of prefinished bent flashing on top of the rowlock. I am now thinking we should have just made one leg of the flashing about 3" longer so it would protect the top of rowlock and allow more of the water from above to drip off the wall in lieu of saturating this brick and possibly possibly getting into the cavity. Sealing this rowlock was another way that I thought might prevent this.
In cases where there's no overhang above, ie no soffets, and there is a transition to a different siding, I think there should be flashing over the top course of bricks and under the rowlock course. That would seal it, and be out of sight.
My" good ol days", were 3 in number as a hod carrier on a new high school, at age 19. Had all the verbal abuse in that short time I could handle. Got fired for starting the fight.
Worked around mason for years, and learned a little about the trade, but not enough to do the work. As a commercial superintendent, I had to learn even more, but still no good at the trade. I can tell a good job from a bad one, and my brick work would be in the latter.
Dave
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages/?msg=48081.14