Wall Tie Replacement, London
Wall Tie Replacement and Structural Repair works have been successfully procured from our Head Office in Hammersmith, West London to a plot of 11 retirement bungalows in shepherds bush suffering from Horizontal Cracking and Vertical Cracks.
12 months ago and Newman’s were asked to carry out Crack Monitoring and provide a Structural Survey to each plot in order to diagnose the causes of cracking to the plots. A range of other cracks had also appeared causing concern.
Horizontal Cracks appeared previously and a ‘specialist’ carried out Wall Tie Replacement using a steel rod and flexible red mastic with anti-fungicidal properties which carried a 50 year guarantee! Unfortunately the ‘specialist’ Wall Tie Installer had ceased trading and of course the guarantee wasn’t a genuine one.
Wall Tie Failure is a common Structural Defect that should be assessed by a Wall Tie Replacement specialist such as us, who are recommended and trained by market leading manufacturers like Twistfix as experience is required to correctly diagnose the cause of the Wall Tie Failure which in this instance was caused by corrosion of the original steel fishtail type Wall Ties, which the ‘specialist’ failed to isolate.
Corrosion to iron and steel Wall Ties is a common Structural Defect which needs to be addressed and repaired as there is potential for Wall Tie Failure to cause complete Structural Failure resulting in collapse of the structure.
When the steel corrodes layers of iron oxide build on to the tie causing expansion enlarging ties mass and lifts the masonry it is supposed to be restraining breaking the bond in the mortar causing the structure to weaken and become unstable and this is what could potentially cause the building to collapse.
It is essential that new Remedial Wall Ties are installed first to restrain any further movement and reconnect the masonry but it is also paramount that the cause of the Structural Defect, being the Corroded Wall Tie, is treated to prevent further corrosion. Newman’s use Twistfix Clan Sleeves which are a unique sleeve that encompass a resin once installed over the corroded Wall Tie prevent further corrosion.
The Wall Tie Replacement scheme will require the installation of over 3500 patented Twistfix CD Ties which are a simple tie to install being driven through only a 6mm pilot hole enabling us to provide an almost invisible repair and achieving pull out forces of over 2.5 K/N’s required by the structural engineer.
The Patened Twistfix CD Wall Ties have been engineered by the Twistfix Director William Ollis who invented and patented the original Helibar and recently re-engineered the product to improve a greater degree of product consistency and improve performance upon the early Helifix product.
If your property is showing signs of Horizontal Cracking at intervals be sure to contact us as your property may be suffering from Wall Tie Failure which will require a Wall Tie Survey to determine the cause of Cracking.
This interesting Wall Tie Replacement project will be starting at the end of September and Case studies will follow so be sure to keep an eye out on our blog and Twitter account to keep up to date with our latest news. You can follow us on Twitter our username is @NBSRepairs.
Newman’s can help to diagnose structural defects, cracking and movement by arranging a free Structural Survey, contact London and the south East’s leading structural repair specialists for Help, Advice and peace of mind Call 0333 444 0154 or Email enquiries@newmans.com
