Q. I own a house and am told that the wall ties need replacing. My question is how should they take the old ones out? Do they remove the bricks or is there some other technique that they use?
Submitted by: AM
 

A. Whether or not the original wall ties are removed or isolated depends upon the type present. Butterfly wire type ties need not be removed or isolated since they cause no damage when they corrode. Galvanised fish tail ties however, which have a far greater metal content, should be removed or isolated as they have the potential to cause damage. Contractors have developed many ways to deal with these such as; remove the brick above/below and remove the tie or bend it back or, remove surrounding mortar and encapsulate in foam or cover it with a purpose designed grease filled isolating 'jacket' or, use an angle grinder to grind them away.
 
Some contractors however ignore the isolation or removal as this is harder work than putting the new ones in.