It’s a big old hole underneath the bath where the pipe heads outside. It goes through the cavity wall and the pipe seems well sealed on the outer wall.

We get a terrible draught when it’s windy to the extent that the bath panel wobbles.

My two thoughts were either make the hole in the inner wall smaller with some mortar and broken bricks and then a small amount of expanding foam around the pipe

or

Build up expanding foam to seal the whole gap. Never used expanding foam before so no idea of how controllable it is. I imagine you can get yourself in a bit of a pickle with it

Any ideas?

Expanding foam, it’s a great insulator for starters.

Trim it back flush in a day to two, on the exterior once that’s done cover with mortar or some such to seal.

Never done it, but I’d cover it over with something like plasterboard to encase the space, and leave a hole to squirt foam in through. Gradually…

Point it up on the outside

Foam it on the inside

Hard to get a sense of whether a bit of extra support is required – is that brick on the internal wall above the pipe just held up by goodwill?

If so, mortar and brick (bits).

If it’s all structucally sound expanding foam would be a lot easier. It will slump and make a mess (it’s very sticky) but you could avoid that by just duct taping (or something) a bit of cardboard in front to hold it place in while it cures. Then you can trim the dry foam with a saw to make it neat.

How would you fill this hole?

finbar
Free Member
Hard to get a sense of whether a bit of extra support is required – is that brick on the internal wall above the pipe just held up by goodwill?

You’ve changed, man

If just using foam in side, of consider stuffing some wire wool around the pipe first. I had similar and filed it with foam. A whole after, I had to scrape out what was left of the foam, redo it with some wire wool in there, and buy some mouse traps.

I think the wall is held up by the power of 1960s housebuilding!

Thank you for the ideas. I think I’ll go for the mixed approach of a couple of half bricks on the left to make the hole smaller and then expanding foam for around the pipe and any little gaps left over.

Ha, sorry, I just realised you’re not talking about the gap round the pipe, rather the massive hole in the brickwork to the left. Yeah, brick and mortar that bit!

Really wants some taking out, making good then filling back with whole ish bricks rather than trying to “jigsaw” it full.

But…

You can get blocks which are good under load but can be cut with a hand saw these days, can’t think what they’re called but that would work without needing to knock lumps out of the wall to brick and mortar it.

Stuff it with dead squirrels?

Stuff it with dead squirrels?

Nah, wrong time of year. Acorns would work though. They’re about the right shape.

And having just seen the price of those on eBay WCA I know what you should do with yours now 😱