Moisture barrier behind brick

[wal1809]

I have the same crap n my house. I have board and bat on the ext. So they will be pulling the board and bats to dry. In your case the only way to fix it is to pull the brick or cut it out from the stud side. I'd cut it from the stud side and get all that dried out. It will be a pain in the anus but you can take sheets of dow foam board. Cut it to fit tight between the studs and push it back as far as you can towards the brick. Although a pain in the A, it will be a lot easier than breaking out the brick.

[Chuy]

i saw this too in a house we gutted last weekend. I don't see any other way, to do it correctly, to replace it without tearing out the brick. Even if you managed to wedge new a new vapor barrier in there, how would you secure it?

Sorry to hear about this. Good luck.

[Sticks&Strings]

I saw it in a house this week. It's not a vapor barrier. It is an old school type of foam board. Its not foam though, it is like a high density cardboard. I told the lady to point it out to her insurance agent and ask what route they wanted them to take as I see the only way to get it all out is to remove the brick. I explained to her that in today's construction we use treated plywood to 2', then OSB wrapped in Tyvek. This was cardboard with Poly at the bottom.

[jeepntx]

My brother helped a guy he works with in Houston after this flood and he had the same stuff. FEMA guy saw it, said the brick needs to come down and re-done.

I'm sure my house has it, too. We just haven't gotten that far yet. [emoji17]

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[Kbar]

Is it basically a compressed cardboard with an oily layer pressed into the face? Looks like little 1/16 x 1/16 squares embossed on the face? If so, it predates anything foam. If so, its non-structural.
Is there a possibility in doing pocket replacements on the windows? If so, you may be able to tear out sheathing from the inside and the window jambs from the outside and work in a moisture barrier from between the masonry and studs. then go back and open batt it and brace it from the inside.
lotsa ifs........

[tyak]

Is it T ply?
Pretty much cardboard


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[Mudslinger]

It is probably insulation board with a foil facing. That is the only difference between that and regular insulation board is the foil facing.. That is like a sponge and not a water barrier.

[mikemorvan]

It doesn't really matter what it is, blackboard, osb, OC foam, some other foam board, t-ply, etc. If it's old and it's been submerged, it's likely ruined. It is most likely just exterior sheathing. Most likely. Most likely non-structural. Acts as wind barrier, and skin on the structure. Not much else. The only proper remedy is to remove the brick, remove the sheathing, and start over. Good luck with it all...

BTW, there are a variety of products on the market. Some provide structural support, some don't. Do some research on residential exterior sheathing.

[Smokeater]

If it was all cut out from the inside and spacers put in to keep brick/studs tight....could you then spray closed cell foam insulation in the walls and be done? Just shootin' from the hip here..

[Kbar]

OP - is this what it looks like?
This is a type of Homosote used back in the 50s, 60's, and up to ???.
if thats the case, disregard what I posted above. Removing the brick and starting from scratch is the best option.
Building practices, materials, and codes have changed over time.

[doright]

My brother helped a guy he works with in Houston after this flood and he had the same stuff. FEMA guy saw it, said the brick needs to come down and re-done.

I'm sure my house has it, too. We just haven't gotten that far yet. [emoji17]

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If you have to tear out more than about 16" high , I would be very concerned about the brick ties coming loose. Without the brick ties holding the brick to the wall ,you stand a great chance of the brick falling off the wall at some point in the future. If you are spending insurance money then tear the brick off and start over. If spending your own money and on a budget then very carefully remove the wet material and try to avoid loosening the brick.

[jeepntx]

If you have to tear out more than about 16" high , I would be very concerned about the brick ties coming loose. Without the brick ties holding the brick to the wall ,you stand a great chance of the brick falling off the wall at some point in the future. If you are spending insurance money then tear the brick off and start over. If spending your own money and on a budget then very carefully remove the wet material and try to avoid loosening the brick.

We got just over 6'

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[Slew]

If I was paying for it with my own $$$ I would probably knock some holes in it to dry it out best you could before I tore all the brick off my house and started over. I've never seen a framing crew tearing anything out while building a house because it rained. I know 16" and less they allowed to cut the 2x4 walls and remove the blackboard and scab new framing back once the blackboard was replaced but above that you would get into the brick ties I'd imagine. That's my 2 cents anyhow.

[rickgarcia76]

This is what it looks like. You can see a closeup pic and you can look in the background to see how it looks on the wall.

It's basically a 1/8" cardboard sheet which is wrapped in a thin foil on both sides.

House was built in 1970.

[b.latiolais]

How high was the water in the house? Also, it appears the foil side is to the house?

Edit: Saw you mention foil on both sides....

I'd honestly just let it dry out really well, then treat it with some Biocide like mircoban.
Mold has to have a constant water source to survive, like a leak.

Put some fans blowing on it for several days until it dries. Make sure its good and dry before you put any sheet rock back on.