Help! I might have done a big brick no-no
#1
08-28-14, 07:44 AM
Help! I might have done a big brick no-no
I used an Insulating Foam Sealant along the top of my vinyl windows on my brick exterior home. The caulk had degraded on the top of all of the windows and I thought that giving the caulk something to sit against behind it would be a good thing.
Is the insulating foam going to push water into the layer of brick above my windows and cause them to degrade when it freezes/thaws? Or can the water get away on its own?
Super stressed out right now.
Is the insulating foam going to push water into the layer of brick above my windows and cause them to degrade when it freezes/thaws? Or can the water get away on its own?
Super stressed out right now.
#3
08-28-14, 03:45 PM
Group Moderator
You should have used a foam backer rod that is specifically made for that sort of thing. The foam you put in won't hurt anything, it just wasn't the right thing to use in this case. If you can still caulk over it, it's fine. Its just that the backer rod comes an various sizes for different thicknesses of gaps and is meant for that sort of thing.
#4
08-28-14, 04:23 PM
Here are some pics.
Remember that the original caulk allowed any moisture behind the wall to fall to the vinyl, now any moisture will be suspended higher, on top of the spray foam, against the back of the brick. 
#5
08-28-14, 04:50 PM
Group Moderator
Any water behind brick should weep out over the front of the lintel through weeps that were installed for that purpose. (this is why the front edge of a lintel should not be caulked to the brick) Water should not need to run out from BEHIND the lintel. If it does, there's something wrong.
#7
08-28-14, 08:24 PM
Group Moderator
A brick veneer is spaced 1" away from the sheathing so that there is a drainage plane behind the brick. When the face of the brick gets wet, ALL the mortar gets damp... even the back side... because mortar is porous. This moisture has be be able to air-dry both directions and not be trapped. Simply foaming and caulking the top of the window does not affect the air space that is behind the rest of the brick. The sides and bottom are caulked, right?
I'd be more stressed out about how you're going to get that ugly foam off your white window.
I'd be more stressed out about how you're going to get that ugly foam off your white window.
#8
08-29-14, 04:00 AM
I got a little happy with the foam, spraying it to the sides of the window, and with the expansion of the foam I believe I have made a barrier behind the brick that won't allow that air to circulate properly. Do you have any ideas about how best to remove the spray foam? Particularly without taking the windows out first?
Thanks for all of the help so far, if I didn't feel I had someone to ask I wouldn't be able to sleep.
Thanks for all of the help so far, if I didn't feel I had someone to ask I wouldn't be able to sleep.
