Old iron sewer pipes

[Random guy]

The main 4" iron sewer line from the upstairs bathroom that is overhead in the basement is leaking. Looks like it has eroded away and is seeping through in two very small spots. I tried slicing a Ferncoe then packing it with tar before slippin it over. I clamped it tight as I could yet three days later it started working through that.

So just how does a guy fix the old ductile iron pipes? Cut and splice but it leaking through a pin hole, through the tar and past the ferncoe already. One end goes into a massive elbow and the other dissapears into the wall.

What to do?

[CAMAN]

I'd cut out the bad area making sure you have a couple inches of clamping area on each end, cut a PVC pipe to fit between and clamp a couple Fernco's on to hold it in place.

[K_Josh87]

are you sure that is the only rotten spot? May be another leak further up the line? I have used some stuff in the past called rescue 911... its a spray can sealant... but... its not the greatest, but has worked for me in the past... Menards used to carry it, and I think they still do, otherwise cut and splice... and cross your fingers your long gone when it all needs replacing :-)

[amateurfishing]

my parents (in Ia) just redid their maste suite a few years ago, had exat same stuff from when home was originally built, nasty built up gunk and corroded from inside out.

I would say get by with what u can but honestly it all should probably go and completely redone, while it would be a major project/investment/expense, what is the cost/value of peace of mind?

[PurpleFloyd]

I would just replace everything you can get to with PVC. It isn't going to get any better and chances are there are bad spots in the rest of the pipes too. When we bought our first house we had galvanized waste lines and water lines that were bad. Having never plumbed before I bought enough stuff to tear out everything in the basement and taught myself to glue PVC and Solder copper and had new lines run everywhere by the end of Sunday night. Plumbing is a simple DIY project that will give you peace of mind.

[Archerysniper]

About the only thing to do is cut out the leaking piece and replace it with cast iron or pvc. If you switch to pvc make sure you purchase the correct mission coupling. I also recommend cutting it with a high speed grinder with thin cutting wheels,other methods might keep breaking the brittle pipe and cause lots more work needed to be done.

[CAMAN]

Also while you're at it make sure the pipe hasn't dropped on one side and has enough slope to it. It sounds like it may not have enough and waste is sitting in it causing it to corrode. The bubble on the level should at minimum split the line or have more slope.

[Redlantern]

Well Said, Archery Sniper. Cut off wheels and a grinder are the way to go for something like this if the op doesn't want to tear into the walls and replace everything. Use safety glasses and a grinding shield. Have an extinguisher handy, too. It will get messy.

[krinkle]

You can get sawzall blades that will cut cast iron. If I remember right a 10tooth blade will cut it. You can also get abrasive blades designed to cut it. Run the sawzall on high speed or you will be there all night. Figure a blade a cut. Patch it back in with plastic and bands. Make sure and look at the wall thickness of the piece that comes out. Have seen plenty that are very thin on one side. That would be a good indication that more repairs might be coming in the near future.

[krinkle]

Does Waskish have a plumbing inspector Jonny? lol. Like mentioned above Mission bands are what are supposed to be used by state code for connecting plastic back in. A fernco will work fine for a long time. Some of the older pipes have seems on them that may need to get ground down to to get the band to seal tight.

[Random guy]

Ya...I'm calling a plumber as this does not look like my cup of tea. Luckily it's only one run from the master bath and kitchen before its go through the world's craziest elbow ever then out the foundation wall. It's leaking in three spots all about four feet apart. The pipes just rotted out I'm afraid.

[K_Josh87]

you'll probably be much happier at the end of the day....

[Random guy]

...and it won't look like something Red Green did.

[K_Josh87]

but it could possibly lead into a good story some day... like the day we found a muskrat in my sisters dryer vent tube....

[WallEYES]

Johnny

Being a plumbing contactor and an inspector use a grinder to cut out the so called bad areas in the cast iron ...if you use pvc use the correct transition couplings from cast to pvc..these are called mission bands...if it is 4 inch pipe these would be a cp44 mission band...these allow for expansion and contraction...if replacing with cast....use no hub couplings....another to look at does this happen after a toilet flush? If so the seal around the water closet flange has gone south and needs to be replaced....have fun and wear gloves because your hands will smell for a few days and fishing may be a little slow.