Field & trade terms
Weep hole
Also called: weep
A weep hole is a deliberate gap — left in a mortar joint at the base of a masonry cavity wall, or built into a window frame — that lets water drain back out. Cladding and windows aren't watertight; they're designed to let some water through and then drain it, and the weep is the exit. Block or omit the weeps and the water that gets in has nowhere to go, so it backs up against the structure it was supposed to run past.
How it shows up on site
You see weeps spaced along the bottom course of a brick or block veneer, above flashing and lintels, and as small slots in window sills and storefront frames. They pair with flashing: the flashing catches the water and carries it to the weeps, and the weeps let it out.
What an inspector looks at
The check is that weeps are present, spaced as specified, sitting on top of the flashing so water can actually reach them, and not packed with mortar droppings that block the drainage path. A weep above a bed of fallen mortar drains nothing.
Because RTI closes items on a photo, weeps and their flashing are shot before the next course or the finish buries them — the record that the drainage path was open, not just planned.
Standards it's verified against
Checklists that put weep hole to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- FlashingThin sheet material lapped into an assembly to direct water back out at joints, edges and openings before it can get behind the finish.
- Vapor barrierA sheet material that limits how much water vapor diffuses through an assembly, placed to keep condensation from forming inside the wall or floor.
- MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing)The mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades — the systems run through a building's structure that get inspected at rough-in and again at final.
- FirestoppingSealing openings where pipe, conduit or cable pass through a fire-rated wall or floor so the assembly's rating is restored.
- Air barrierA continuous plane of materials that stops air from leaking through the building enclosure, sealed at every joint, seam and penetration.
- Backflow preventionA device or assembly that keeps used or contaminated water from reversing back into the potable supply through a cross-connection.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.