# Brick mailbox falling apart!



## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

not a mason but, to me, it appears water got inside the brickwork, froze, & popped off the faces,,, pressure wash clean, cut out & replace the bricks, & seal w/silicone siloxane :thumbsup:

its possible bricks are sucking up wtr from the bottom so you may want to dig around the structure down to the btm course


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## Tscarborough (Mar 31, 2006)

That is exactly what it is and how you fix it.


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## AndyH24 (Mar 18, 2010)

So if it rains here in the day and the temp drops at night to below freezing, this could happen again? Unfortunately the rest of the brick work has a lot of cracks in it so I dont think it is worth trying to replace some bricks on the bottom. Here's another pic that shows a crack from top to bottom.


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## AndyH24 (Mar 18, 2010)

Click on the photo above to see a hi res pic to look at the crack.


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## Tscarborough (Mar 31, 2006)

That is an entirely different issue. The slab has cracked and settled. Luckily it is just a mailbox, replace at your leisure.


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## AndyH24 (Mar 18, 2010)

Thanks. Is replacing it something I could do myself? Or should I hire a pro?


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

tscar, sometimes i think paul harvey lives in diy forums,,, ' now for the rest of the story,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ' :laughing:


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## Tscarborough (Mar 31, 2006)

It is a very easy DIY project, a good one to start with in fact.


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

A decent photo of the top the "mailbox" structure may give some clues. - That could be the origin of the moisture that causes the problem and little car is used in the construction of a egotistical mailbox.

Water tends to run down and collect and then freeze in warmer climates than mine. That is the problem. - One other possiblity is plowing snow with salt on the road that can be absorbed during the year and go through alternate wetting and drying during the entire year.

There is always question that the brick are really not resistant enough for changes in temperature or moisture.


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## AndyH24 (Mar 18, 2010)

Here's a pic of the top


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## danpik (Sep 11, 2011)

...And now we know the rest of the story. 

totally improper cap. Lets too much water enter the column. It will soak up water like a sponge, settle to the bottom and freeze.


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## AndyH24 (Mar 18, 2010)

What should the cap be? Should I use something solid on top like concrete or flag stone?


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