I was told that you need a ledger angle for brick veneer around 15-18 feet high. If thats the case, you have to have weeps above each ledger angle, right?
The masonry code says you need a shelf angle at 30' when you have a steel stud or wood stud backing. On a CMU backing there are no strict height limitations according to the code, but generally a shelf angle is placed at 30' when backed by CMU. I use the term "shelf angle" intentionally instead of ledger angle or relieving angle since those terms can be confusing. A shelf angle is bolted to the structure and allows a horizontal expansion joint (soft joint) to be placed beneath the angle. Brick grows over time and the soft joint allows the brick to grow into that space and also allows any frame shrinkage to occur without putting the brick veneer under stress. Remember, its not that you need to take weight off of the brick since brick is very strong. You could stack a brick wall 1,000' high before it would crush under its own weight. The gap above the brick is just there to allow movement to occur. Now, if this is about normal residential construction, shelf angles are rarely needed. You need to start considering shelf angles on buildings over 2-3 stories. Check out the Brick Industry Association's Technical Notes 18A (
As for weeps, anytime that the air space behind the brick veneer is interrupted you need flashing and weeps to redirect water that has penetrated the wall back out again. Flashing and weeps are like peanut butter and jelly, they just go together every time. Take a look at BIA Technical Note 7 series on water penetration and flashing or take a look at the details on the International Masonry Institute's website under Masonry Detailing Series for some good 3D details of flashing (
