Home Improvement : How to Renew Crumbling Mortar

QUESTION: The mortar joints on the brick walls of my house are dried and crumbling. How can I repair this?

ANSWER: The repair procedure for mortar joints on brick is known as “tuck pointing.” Start by chipping out all the loose mortar from the joints with a cold chisel and hammer to a depth of at least one inch. Clean away dust and chips with a water jet and wire brush. In areas where falling water is causing mortar leaks, remove the bricks and clean mortar from remaining bricks in the surrounding area.

Mix mortar from 1 part Portland cement, 1/2 part hydrated lime, 4 1/2 parts sand and enough water so that the mixture can be compacted into a ball. Let it stand for one hour, then add enough water to make a stiff but workable paste. Dampen joints with clean water. Use a jointing tool to force the mortar into joints. As you compress the mortar and strike off the joints with the jointing tool, work in one direction only to avoid forming air pockets.

Use Isopropyl Alcohol on Silicone Caulk

Q: The previous owner of my house used silicone caulk on everything in sight. How can I get it off?

A: As recommended by the Silicone Division of General Electric, the most common solvent for silicone caulk is isopropyl alcohol. If that doesn’t do the job, you can try a stronger solvent such as paint thinner that contains Xylene.

Ice Maker Can Bypass Water Softener

Q: We have a water softener in our house. Unfortunately, it adds a lot of salt to our water. For health reasons, we don’t want to drink this water because we are on low-sodium diets. As a result, we buy bottled water for drinking and cooking. However, we can’t use our refrigerator’s ice maker because it uses the softened water. Is there a way to bypass this and pipe in unsoftened water?

A: Cut into the water supply line before the softener and install a tee or Y fitting. Run a 1/2-inch diameter copper pipe from this fitting to the back of the refrigerator. You can then tap into this pipe and run a copper tube to your ice maker.

For further information on any home problem, write to Popular Mechanics, Readers Service Bureau, 224 West 57th Street, New York, N.Y. 10019.