Loose debris in internal wall, no idea if load bearing. How or who can help fix?

[JamesBen]

We had been switching out our kitchen extractor because it has not been working well. Upon removing the external vent we have found loose debris all over the ducting an in the internal wall. We have just moved into this house so this is very scary as it could be expensive.

Does anyone know what has happened? And who would be the best tradesperson to help?

Thank you in advance

 

[a twig]

Looks just like a fairly standard rubble wall construction to me, solid walls and then loose fill dumped in between.

When re-instating the vent I’d recommend solid pipe so it doesn’t get crushed.

If the internal and external walls are solid and showing no signs of movement then based on my experience I’d say nothing really to worry about

 

[JamesBen]

Is this common installation? The house was built in 1910. Is there anything stopping debris falling or is this something that will just happen?

I don’t think there’d be much chance of a solid pipe going in due to the angle to reach the kitchen.

 

[Cubist]

Add a solid 'Third' to vote for Twigs advice. Shove a solid walled UPVC pipe in there and make off the joints to the internal extractor and the external cover and the jobs a good-un.

In fact it will also eliminate moist air, from the extractor, escaping into the walls infill material.

Also, no need to worry further than this repair. The loose material you have found was no doubt dislodged when the hole was cut for the flexible extractor tubing and probably collapsed on it either immediately or shortly after it was installed, As Twig says, if theres no sign of disturbance to stone-work either indoors or outside you can stop worrying.

 

[JamesBen]

Thank you for your response. Has given us a lot of confidence. I have pulled the rubble out, is it fine to just leave out.

I am not sure I’ll be able to put a solid pipe in, it’s a very cramped space and the angle to the kitchen hood is downwards.

I was hoping I could find a way to attach a video I have of the inside. Can I PM/text you somehow?

 

[Cubist]

Leave it out, you'll need the space for the new tube. Putting the debris back would be a nightmare anyway and you run the risk of perhaps dislodging more.

You can usually 'drag and drop' most attachment types directly into a reply box here. However, if the file type is not recognised you may need to upload it to say YouTube and copy the link from that to the reply box.

 

[Stevers]

I was hoping I could find a way to attach a video I have of the inside.

Time to create a Youtube channel with a non-public video that you can link in here; it's a very useful to have capability for social meedja in general.

 

[Kearn]

Looks just like a fairly standard rubble wall construction to me, solid walls and then loose fill dumped in between.

When re-instating the vent I’d recommend solid pipe so it doesn’t get crushed.

If the internal and external walls are solid and showing no signs of movement then based on my experience I’d say nothing really to worry about

Looks like they took out the main wall stones and the rubble in between and shoved it back around the pipe as loose filler…!

 

[Cubist]

Time to create a Youtube channel with a non-public video that you can link in here; it's a very useful to have capability for social meedja in general.

I once, and very briefly, considered doing just that to provide a close up demonstration of how to properly install caulking cotton and oakum but gave up on the idea when the First Lady, an ardent Apple products fan, went all Cecil B DeMille on me - her 'production values' far exceeded my momentary grasp at DIY stardom, nor did I take too kindly to her suggestion that a 'voice over' artist may be needed as my dulcet basso profundo may be considered too abrupt and scathing for most! Bloody cheek.

 

[Flyfisher]

We also have 'rubble walls' in places and from my experience of drilling holes through them it's quite common for the innards to be quite loose. In fact, our walls are a nightmare to drill through because they contain a lot of flint and when a hammer drill meets flint inside a wall built with lime it tends to just vibrate everything until big lumps fall out and the required 2-inch hole ends up being anywhere between 4-6 inches across!

In such circumstances I have always (as mentioned above) inserted a rigid pipe in the now-too-large hole and then filled the space around it with a mixture of weak lime mortar plus whatever rubble I can push back into the surrounding space, breaking up the bits of rubble if necessary with a lump hammer. The end result is a neat hole through the wall that remains as strong, if not stronger, than before.

In this particular case, the other reason for inserting a solid pipe is that the extractor piping being used is very flimsy (not a criticism, they mostly are) and really needs the protection of a suitable pipe because any future movement of loose rubble within the wall will simply crush it completely and prevent adequate extraction. It might be awkward inserting a suitable rigid pipe but it will definitely be worth it in the long run and I wouldn't worry too much about having to make a bigger than strictly necessary hole in order to insert the pipe because filling the spece around the pipe is a fairly easy job and the end result should be barely noticeable.

 

[JamesBen]

Looks like they took out the main wall stones and the rubble in between and shoved it back around the pipe as loose filler…!

Nothing to worry about then?

 

[Flyfisher]

Only that the loose filler might crush the extractor hose after a while . . .

 

[Kearn]

Nothing to worry about then?

Doesn’t look like it… in terms of the hole.

The cement ribbon pointing though isn’t great, it will damage your ‘good’ stones…