Lintel failure is common yet and serious structural problem that can affect a house. Even though most Perth houses have windows and doors, and so the lintels. The materials mainly found for lintels are brick lintels, steel lintels and concrete lintels. With a careful look, you will discover signs of the problem with lintel, and among them, the primary one is crack in the masonry above the doors and windows.
So, what to do if you notice cracks? Do you replace or repair or lintels? Let’s know in detail-
A lintel is structural support used in buildings. The installation of the lintel above the opening of windows and doors that supports the load of the structure above. Such structural supports provide additional strength to the weaker points. So, as soon it gets damaged, repair it!
As soon as you identify the cracks in the wall, find the root cause of the cracking. If the cracks above the doors and windows show that the lintel is blown or cracked, it needs immediate repairing or replacement.
How to Identify the Failed Lintels? The vertical cracks across the masonry wall or the brickwork is proof that the lintel has got damaged. You will see vertical cracks appear diagonally across the top corner of the windows. Even, lintels generally bow downwards if they fail. Since the lintel work forcing the brickwork up and inwards, it will result in cracks in the masonry.
The most common reason why lintels fail is the corrosion of the steel. Moreover, the movement of the walls of foundations or other structural issues can cause the lintels cracked. Consulting a structural engineer can be a good idea to rule out any severe issue.
Problems with lintels often take place when hardwood windows are being replaced with the uPVC one. Well, before the installation, the contractors should check the condition of the lintels. Whether you find the evidence of cracks, the lintels need to be reinforced before you remove and install new windows.
Apart from repairing the lintels externally, there are a few things to do internally. And, the course of action is determined with the severity of cracks, and check out how they run through the internal leaf of the cavity wall.
If the cracks are spread across the Internal leaf of the cavity, then you might have to create a new lintel internally. And, there should be enough wall ties between the two leaves for the safe transfer of load. The best way to do this is a visual inspection between the outer and inner leaves, where you may need to add or replace the corroded ties to give structural integrity.
The author works for a wall-removal company and love to write about the structural repair and replacement, and lintel replacement in Perth is one of them.