How to patch a hole in brick wall?

[GlennD]

Need to patch a hole in the exterior brick work of the house.

Bit of background, I had a water leak and the plumber replaced a section of copper pipe.

The previous section of where the pipe was just caked in mortar the plumber removed it all

Wondering what the best way to repair this would be now 

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @GlennD,

Thank you for your question.

Replicating what was there before is probably the best way to go. Hopefully you still have the brick.

You should start by removing the packers and any loose material in the gap.

Once tidied up, mix up some Mortar and press it onto the top, bottom and left side of the hole with a Brick Trowel. Do the same on the brick and then push it into place.

Once the brick is back in place, you can fill the cavity around the pipe by pressing mortar into it until it is full.

When the mortar dries a little bit, you can tidy up your mortar beds so they look more consistent with the others with a tuck pointer.

Let me know what you think, and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[GlennD]

Thanks for the reply Jacob,

Thought something like that would be the go.
Should I be concerned about the mortar corroding the copper pipe over time?
Should I keep the insulation on the pipe, and add more to the other section ?
Or just lather the mortar in there?

[JacobZ]

Hi @GlennD,

Leave the insulation in place as it is there to protect the pipe from expansion and contraction of the mortar as well as direct contact between the mortar and the pipe.

You won't have any issues with the mortar corroding the pipe if you leave the insulation in place.

Just give it a clean out, then lather the mortar in there.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob