UKC

I've recently had an outside tap rooted through a hole in my wall which is a plastic pipe going through the brick work, I think connected with the old (removed) gas boiler, being approximately five inches in diameter.

Since I already have some wire mesh, and a friend has some cement, would it be pretty doable to cover the hole around the tap in the wire mesh and apply the cement to cover over the hole?

Currently I've just snipped a section out of the plastic cap which covered the hole to allow room for the tap, and that's covering over the outside of the hole, with plastic bags packed in from the inside to provide some insulation.

Thanks.
All.

In reply to Timmd:

You could but chances are the water will get into the mesh and the rust or frost will crack it up pretty quickly.

Is it just a cosmetic finish or some support for the tap you're looking for? If so personally I'd probably go for a metal plate.

Bricking it up properly then re-fitting the tap would probably be the best solution.

An alternative would be to make a bit of a wooden bird-box type structure to keep the frost off the tap, the backplate would close the hole in your wall and support the tap.

jk

In reply to jkarran:
It's purely cosmetic, as before I cut the plastic cover to fit, it was just a plastic pipe coming out my wall with the outside tap resting on it (on the inside of it) as it emerges. It still is but it looks a bit less ugly.

Good idea about metal, I saved the stainless steel from an old outlet which was recently bricked up. That could be cut to fit and painted to match the wall.

In reply to Timmd:

just get a couple of bricks and smash them up to fit, cement in, from either side. Possibly leaving a gap in middle if it's a cavity wall.

In reply to summo:

The pipe is continuous through the wall, so it's only possible to cover up the opening from the outside.

In reply to Timmd:

Stones or as above broken bricks then cement.

In reply to Timmd:

Use expanding foam to fill/insulate the cavity and then finish with cemented bricks or whatever you prefer for aesthetics?

In reply to LastBoyScout:

^^^^ as above

In reply to LastBoyScout:
Think I'm going to go for making a template out of card and then cutting the spare stainless steel to fit around and over the plastic pipe which comes out the wall, and trim just a little bit off the end of the pipe first so it all ends up flush, and then find some suitable filler to fill in the little gap around the outside of the stainless steel and the surrounding brick work, before the whole lot getting painted when I get the rest of the house done, or ele it might look a bit of a hodge podge.

I seem to have an irrational aversion to expanding foam, I don't know if it's because I don't understand it, but it's a little bit weird seeming.

Edit: Would external house paint take to stainless steel okay?

In reply to Timmd:


Have you tried cutting stainless steel? Apologies if you know what you are doing, but in my experience it is a nightmare to work with. You'll end up using a grinder and not making particularly neat cuts.

I would add another vote for expanding foam to support the pipe and insulate, and then anything you want for aesthetics.

In reply to Timmd:

Some people find problems and create so called solutions in the weirdest ways. Just brick it up. Put back what was once there before the flu hole was made.
Stainless steel cover sounds silly and unnecessary and would look odd.
Jimjimjim
20 years in the building trade

In reply to Timmd:

Is the external finish of the wall brick or render? If brick, cut the part bricks out by drilling the mortar out around them and cement some new bricks in. If render, expanding foam in the hole, let it set, trim it back to about 15mm below the surface and patch the render finish with a similar mix. Steel plates and covers will make it look like a bad diy job.

In reply to jimjimjim:


Not to mention that you would get condensation behind it, which would collect etc..

A stainless steel plate is long winded solution to a simple job, Obtain brick smash with hammer (1min), mix some readymix cement 2-5mins max, fill in hole 5-10mins. Clean up. Job done 30mins max, should be nearer 20min.

In reply to Timmd:

get a can of expanding foam....fill gap, wait to dry, cut flush with a stanley knife and cover with some external polyfilla.

In reply to Morgan Woods:



Why do people on here attempt to answer questions they clearly know nothing about.
I very rarely answer climbing questions after 15 + years of climbing because I know there are more knowledgeable users who will give better answers. "Cut flush with a stanley knife" "external polyfilla"
Behave!

In reply to teflonpete:


I think I'm going to bow to the more conventional methods.

It's a render finish. Might have to cut back the plastic pipe a little bit to make everything flush.

Ta for help all.

In reply to Timmd:



Expanding polyurethane foam has two disadvantages - 1) it oxidises and crumbles to powder if exposed to the elements, especially if mechanical force is applied 2) it's 'open cell' foam and absorbs water. Thus it shouldn't be used anywhere where it can get wet. I guess you could use it to fill a hole in the inner leaf of a cavity, but filling the cavity itself will result in a damp bridge, and using it on the outer leaf will invariably mean it gets damp unless the depth of render over the top is thick enough to prevent water penetration.

As others have said, do a proper job with brick/aggregate. The best job would be to remove the pipe, re-brick the hole up with decent chunks of brick (if not whole brick) and re-drill the pipe hole the exact size. don't forget to sheath the pipe in another pipe (preferably plastic) to prevent corrosion of the copper from chemicals in the wall. If you smash brick up into little bits it doesn't really offer much strength, so avoid that.

In reply to Toerag:


It does not really matter for a small repair TBH

But actually quite debatable, how do you concrete works ?