That stat about brick wastage in cold weather caught me off guard

Was reading through some old trade journals my grandpa left me, came across a study from 1988 that said you can lose up to 12% of your bricks to frost damage if the moisture content is above 3% when it freezes. I always knew cold weather was rough but I never put a number on it like that. Been laying for 15 years and I never bothered checking moisture before a freeze. Has anyone else ever tracked their waste rate through a winter?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

beth_butler755mo ago

Yeah that's a brutal one, I've been there too.

7

jordanr895mo ago

I always figured the freeze risk was more about the mortar than the brick itself, but that 12% number is way higher than I would have guessed. Definitely makes me want to start checking moisture before winter hits.

-1