Okay, so I was messing around with some bricks the other day, and it got me thinking – are these things porous or what? I mean, they’re solid, right? But then again, they’re kind of rough, and you always see plants growing out of old brick walls. So, I decided to do a little experiment to find out.
Getting Started
First, I grabbed a few different kinds of bricks from my backyard. I had some old red ones, some newer-looking tan ones, and even a couple of those fancy pavers. I also got a big bucket of water and a timer. My plan was simple: dunk the bricks in the water and see what happened.
The Dunk Test
- I filled the bucket with water and dropped the first brick in. It was one of the old red ones. I set the timer for 5 minutes and watched. At first, nothing much happened. But then, after a minute or two, I started to see tiny bubbles coming from the brick. It was like it was breathing!
- After 5 minutes, I pulled the brick out. It was definitely heavier than when it went in. I patted it dry with a towel and set it aside.
- Next, I tried the tan brick. This one seemed to absorb water even faster. The bubbles were coming up like crazy, and the water level in the bucket actually went down a little.
- Finally, I tested the paver. This one was the least porous of the bunch. A few bubbles came up, but not nearly as many as the other two bricks.
Weighing In
After letting the bricks dry for a while, I weighed them. The old red brick was the heaviest, followed by the tan brick, and then the paver. This confirmed what I saw during the dunk test – the older, rougher bricks were more porous than the newer, smoother ones.
Thinking It Through
So, what does all this mean? Well, it means that bricks, especially older ones, can absorb a lot of water. This is why you sometimes see plants growing out of brick walls – they’re getting water from the bricks themselves! It also means that if you live in a place with a lot of rain, your brick walls might be holding onto a lot of moisture. This can lead to problems like mold and mildew, so it’s something to keep in mind.
Anyway, that was my little brick experiment. It was fun to do, and I learned something new. Hope you found it interesting too!
