Block work crack

10-01-2023 9:33pm #1

I just notice a big vertical crack in the boiler house attached to my gable wall. The house is about 20years old but only in a year myself so not sure if this is old or new.

The wall is twin leaf and nothing showing on outside but can't see inside cavity. The crack is about 2mm wide and goes the whole way down. My fear is the boiler pipework is on it the wall and if it is moving could it destroy them.

The Continental Op · 10-01-2023 10:54pm

If it was me I wouldn't worry too much but I would monitor it, something a specialist might do anyway if you "retained" someone.

If there is room on the wall you could use one or two of these crack gauge monitors (try Amazon).

Glue one one and check it every few months for further movement. As you are in a corner you could just epoxy resin a hard piece of plastic on the far wall so it just touches the wall over the gap where all the pipes come out then measure any increased gap with a feeler gauge.

Is there anything particular heavy on that wall as the colour of the blocks put me in mind of High Strength Blocks the sort of thing engineers specify in some situations.

I wouldn't be too worried about the pipework because that gap could open up quite a way without putting a lot of pressure on the pipe.

What I think maybe at least part of the reason for the crack but not the actual cause is that I don't think that end wall has any bonding with the wall the pipes come out. If there was any bonding at all the crack would in some places go horizontally along the mortar.