Hello everyone,
We are currently having a house built by a general contractor (external wall structure: aerated concrete - mineral wool - brick veneer). At the moment, the plasterer is working inside (walls are being coated with lime-cement plaster). Some pipes run surface-mounted in room corners and are planned to be later covered with drywall panels (e.g., flue pipe for the gas heating system).
Currently, there is no plaster behind these pipes. The aerated concrete is visible (see photo).
So far, I have assumed that the internal plaster forms the airtight layer on the external walls. For the same reason, socket and switch boxes in the external walls were fitted with airtight membrane boxes. This seems to be counterproductive if large areas behind surface-mounted pipes lack internal plaster. In my opinion, the drywall cannot take over the function of airtightness, can it?
The issue of plastering walls behind pipes probably exists on almost every construction site. How is this usually resolved?
We are currently having a house built by a general contractor (external wall structure: aerated concrete - mineral wool - brick veneer). At the moment, the plasterer is working inside (walls are being coated with lime-cement plaster). Some pipes run surface-mounted in room corners and are planned to be later covered with drywall panels (e.g., flue pipe for the gas heating system).
Currently, there is no plaster behind these pipes. The aerated concrete is visible (see photo).
So far, I have assumed that the internal plaster forms the airtight layer on the external walls. For the same reason, socket and switch boxes in the external walls were fitted with airtight membrane boxes. This seems to be counterproductive if large areas behind surface-mounted pipes lack internal plaster. In my opinion, the drywall cannot take over the function of airtightness, can it?
The issue of plastering walls behind pipes probably exists on almost every construction site. How is this usually resolved?
What are you trying to imply? A bit of poor workmanship is acceptable?
If I agreed with you, we would be talking about a slightly non-plumb wall or a window lintel set too low. However, air tightness can have quite a serious knock-on effect, which in the end could lead not only to financial consequences but potentially even health issues.
By the way, “sealing off,” especially when it comes to a drainpipe, also creates a perfect sound bridge.
If you knowingly accept such a defect, that is your choice. But suggesting that anyone with a different opinion is not quite right (haha!) and supporting that with “back in the day” is simply ignorant and unnecessary.
If I agreed with you, we would be talking about a slightly non-plumb wall or a window lintel set too low. However, air tightness can have quite a serious knock-on effect, which in the end could lead not only to financial consequences but potentially even health issues.
By the way, “sealing off,” especially when it comes to a drainpipe, also creates a perfect sound bridge.
If you knowingly accept such a defect, that is your choice. But suggesting that anyone with a different opinion is not quite right (haha!) and supporting that with “back in the day” is simply ignorant and unnecessary.
G
Grantlhaua30 Aug 2019 10:18Dr Hix schrieb:
What are you trying to say? A bit of poor workmanship is acceptable? An exposed wastewater pipe in a living space (in this case probably the roof ventilation?) is already a major defect in a new build. Plus, the site manager’s suggestion to cover it with a plastic sheet is definitely an even bigger mistake.
Dr Hix schrieb:
By the way, "covering up," especially with a wastewater pipe, also creates a perfect sound bridge. Hmm? I didn’t say to cover the entire pipe with 10cm (5 inches) of plaster. He should just apply some plaster behind the pipe and use a smoothing trowel and a smaller tool to level it out a bit. There’s no sound bridge there, especially since the pipe is always inside a protective sleeve, which decouples it from the plaster.
Dr Hix schrieb:
If you knowingly accept a defect like this, that’s up to you. But implying that anyone with a different opinion is a bit crazy (haha!)—and backing it up with "in the past"—is simply ignorant and unnecessary. I’m just saying you shouldn’t make a mountain out of a molehill. It’s a job that takes about half an hour, and then the wall is closed. It doesn’t have to look perfect because the pipe will be boxed in anyway. The alternative would be to cut the pipe, clean it properly, and then reconnect it with a coupling. But I wouldn’t do that.
Back to the problem: if you’re having a turnkey build, then the site manager or the main contractor should take care of this. I wouldn’t agree to any nonsense like covering it with a plastic sheet. If not, see above.
Dr Hix schrieb:
I’d agree with you if we were talking about a wall that’s not quite vertical. Bricklayers and plasterers aren’t magicians; you rarely get a completely perfectly vertical wall.
Grantlhaua schrieb:
Also, the construction manager’s suggestion to use a sheet is definitely the bigger botch. I didn’t want to argue “in favor of the sheet,” just “against covering it up.”
The cleanest solution would probably be to dismantle it. Given the current construction progress, I wouldn’t find that problematic; why do you see it critically?
Grantlhaua schrieb:
I didn’t say he should cover the entire pipe with 10cm (4 inches) of plaster. You wrote “just roughly apply some compound at the corner ”. Considering that the original poster already mentioned it’s impossible to plaster all the affected areas afterward (the pipes probably lie flush against the masonry in places), my interpretation was “small trowel and care,” at least for me.
It also seemed @Bookstar understood it that way, since he later echoed the same point. Sorry if I misunderstood you roughly!
Grantlhaua schrieb:
I’m just saying, don’t always make a mountain out of a molehill. I basically agree with you, but when it comes to airtightness, there are simply no “molehills” (see above).
You can have whatever opinion you want about insulation and airtightness and naturally have long discussions about pros and cons. The fact remains, though, that under current regulations we all have to build accordingly, and that means addressing potential problems properly. Comments like “insulation madness” or “what did they do 20 years ago, anyway” have no place here.
Bookstar schrieb:
The pipe needs to be wrapped and soundproofed anyway. Then just finish the wall properly by covering it with plaster. That’s professional work and definitely not botched, my dear Dr. Exactly... and interior walls must be plastered everywhere. Unfortunately, that was forgotten here, just like the protective sleeve on the pipe (see photo in the opening post).
G
Grantlhaua30 Aug 2019 14:59Dr Hix schrieb:
I wouldn’t mind that given the current construction progress; why do you see it as a problem?Well, it’s just a fiddly job since the connections at the top and bottom are fixed.
Dr Hix schrieb:
just slightly feather out the cornerMaybe I’ve plastered too many walls in our house in the past weeks. For us, “zuschmeißen” or “auswerfen” basically means applying the base coat plaster (because you usually “throw” it onto the wall). The finishing plaster goes on top and is smoothed out, which wouldn’t be necessary for the corner in this case.
Dr Hix schrieb:
(the pipes probably lie flush against the masonry in some places)That would be poor workmanship again, especially if you’re concerned about sound transmission.
Dr Hix schrieb:
Unfortunately, this was also forgotten here, as was the protective sleeve on the pipe (see photo in original post).Isn’t there a white protective sleeve pulled over the HT pipe? It definitely isn’t a pure HT pipe on its own.
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