Most folks don’t realize this, but unpainted brick and masonry can actually absorb rain water and later condense on the inside of your home walls. As beautiful as natural brick is, without a method to eliminate the water inside the wall, accumulation will eventually damage your home. In a basic sense, weep-holes in building exterior masonry walls (brick or stone) are basically a “drainage system” that is used in cavity wall or rain-screen wall construction methods to get rid of moisture or water that has penetrated the outer wall surface. If a homeowner were to plug or seal them up, serious damage could occur.
This detail is so important that the construction industry has guidance on weep-holes. Per the International Building Code Section R703.7.6 Weep holes, “Weep-holes shall be provided in the outside of masonry walls at a maximum spacing of 33 inches (838 mm) on center. The holes shall not be less than 3 /16 inch (4.8 mm) in diameter [width]. Weep holes shall be located immediately above the flashing.”
The view shown depicts what your typical home construction might look like, if you could look into your brick wall. (Ref: www.inspectapedia.com). When building a new home, it is important to define construction specifications & details for proper location, flashing, & protection of weep-holes in brick or other masonry veneer walls. After your home is built, you can have the weep-holes work right and at the same time keep the critters out, using our Weep Shield brand weep-hole covers. To know where and how they should be installed, check out our website and order some today!