My brick arch collapsed 3 hours after I finished it in Austin last Tuesday

Had a 6 foot wide arch over a driveway sag and drop bricks because I rushed the center support removal and the mortar hadn't fully set in that 95 degree heat, anyone else had a fresh arch fail on them from trying to save time?

3 comments

3 Comments

karenb975h ago

Oh man, that's rough. I heard somewhere that in high heat you gotta wait way longer before stripping supports, something about the mortar drying too fast on the surface while the inside stays soft. Did the whole thing just pancake down?

dylan_brown304h ago

That drying too fast on the surface is the real problem. What people don't realize is that in extreme heat the mortar can skin over in minutes. It'll look firm on top but underneath it's still wet. Then when you go to strip the support, the bond fails because the inside never cured proper. I've had it happen where the block shifted just an inch or two, not a total pancake, but enough to ruin a whole wall. Always poke a test joint with your trowel before stripping, if it resists like wet clay instead of crumbling, give it more time.

pat_moore3h agoTop Commenter

Peel back a corner of the plastic sheeting you should have over everything that's curing. In my experience, the real trick is keeping it covered with wet burlap or plastic for at least 24 hours in that kind of heat, even if it looks dry on top. That skin-over trap gets everyone the first time they work in a heat wave.