Lintel problem?

[barlyhop]

I have yet to observe this condition. Inspected a 2005 home with masonry veneer wall. Iron lintel above the 2 car wide garage door. Brick veneer runs all the way to the roofline.

There is spalling on the brick face just below one corner of the garage door. Weeps were present every 18 inches or so along the top of the lintel but none in the corners.

Do we need weeps at the corners to prevent the spalling or is this related to a different issue?

Thanks

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[Tom Raymond]

Is that the small coloumn between the doors? It looks like the brick are breaking from overloading rather than spalling.

Tom

[Chad Fabry]

I bet the lintel has about a 1/4 inch of bearing: what Tom said.

[barlyhop]

Yes, this is the small column between the two garage doors.

So, you believe that this is a crushing condition due to poor end support of the lintel?

Thanks

Randy

[mgbinspect]

It seems, for the most part, to be a cosmetic issue. Notice that inspite of the brick surface being chipped away, that the chip is not forced downward and still remains on line with the rest of the brick joint and has not bee pressed outward with enough force to compress the sealant at all. The chip is basically just hanging out there. This is a rough modular brick, which has been saw-cut to be at the right bearing height for the lintel. My guess is that the cut surface of the brick wasn't even - it had some high spots or was cut with a couple passes that were not quite on line with each other. So, in a way, Tom's suggestion of overloading would be correct - overloading of the highpoint, which in turn, failed. There even appears to be mud under the steel, which is always a no no. It's not very likely that it doesn't have sufficient bearing - possible, but hard to imagine.