Vertical crack

[Jeffrey L. Mathis]

At the left of a porch on a 9 year old brick veneer home, the brick is cracked straight down the first joint from top to porch floor. It is a bit wet under that area and there is evidence of termite activity but both would seem to be beside the point.
Any ideas? I'm trying to upload a picture, but I don't know . . .
JLMathis

[Dom D'Agostino]

Try posting a larger photo, I can't see a thing.

[wayne soper]

downspout drainage next to the house

[Aaron Miller]

Such cracks are the result of a lack of brick veneer expansion joints.

[BridgeMan]

Such cracks are the result of a lack of brick veneer expansion joints.

"Take another puff" . . . . . Don't know what ya' been smokin', boy, but it can't be legal.

Let me explain, in simple terms even you should be able to understand:

Using basic arithmetic and a coefficient of thermal expansion of brick masonry of 0.0000031, a typical unrestrained 40'-long brick veneer wall will move only 1/16" total at each end, through a 100-degree F. (total) temperature swing. Considerably less than that if properly tied to the wall with steel brick ties at regular intervals.

There are probably several factors taking place, causing the vertical crack in the OP's photo. Thermal expansion may be one of them, but I suspect just a very small contributor.

[BridgeMan]

"Taking up the bandwidth?" "Other misfits on my ignore list?" You totally lost me again, Aaron, or Jesus, or whatever you're calling yourself today. Interesting knee-jerk reaction for having a simple difference of opinion.

But it really is simple arithmetic, so I have no idea what you hope to "set me straight" on. You know, the stuff you should have learned in grade school?

To Summarize:
Total movement equals the product of movement length times total temperature difference times coefficient of thermal expansion. If you've been making a common practice of telling your clients that any vertical cracking in brickwork is solely the result of missing expansion joints, then you, my friend, are the one who (badly) needs to be set straight. There are thousands (millions?) of residential and commercial brick veneer walls in the world which have no expansion joints and which are not cracked.

[Billy Stephens]

BM:

I won't take up the bandwidth here setting you straight, so just email me at .
.
Way to Go Aaron,

Don't get Goated into a Another Long Trip Outta Town.

[Aaron Miller]

See page 6, photo 2.

http://www.gobrick.com/Portals/25/docs/Technical%20Notes/TN18.pdf

[Aaron Miller]

Don't get Goated into a Another Long Trip Outta Town.

I think you meant "goaded", but I like the visual your version allows.:D

[Jim Luttrall]

Good information Aaron, Thanks.
From the Article "Corners. Brickwork will expand in the plane of the wall. At
a corner, the brickwork on each side will expand toward
the corner. Absence of an expansion joint near a corner or
an insufficient number of expansion joints in the wall can
result in cracking at the corner as shown in Photo 2. This
typically occurs at the first head joint on one side of the
corner."

I for one typically think about thermal expansion to the exclusion of other stress factors but the document Aaron provided lists several other expansion factors. All the factors have to be dealt with for a masonry structure to be crack free whether the allowances are intentional or just happy coincidence. As Dr. Joe oft repeats, "Buildings move, let them move".

[Billy Stephens]

I think you meant "goaded", but I like the visual your version allows.:D
Nope. ;)
.

[Aaron Miller]

Nope. ;)
.

Looks just like BM.