How fricked am I. Original cast iron pipes from the 40’s are rotting through and I don’t know shit about plumbing.
How fucked am I. Original cast iron pipes from the 40s are rotting through and I dont know shit about plumbing.
How fricked am I. Original cast iron pipes from the 40’s are rotting through and I don’t know shit about plumbing.
happens naturally, they've reached the end of their lifespan. time to call the plumber and get either PVC or PEX
Those are drain pipes. Pretty sure you dont use pex for drains... Pvc or abs if it is still allowed in your region.
The main problem is it’s not just one pipe but the entire bathroom is these old pipes connected to the main pipe to the sewer are all rotting out and I only have the one bathroom so the job would have to be done in a day or so and I’m not confident I could make that happen with my near zero knowledge of plumbing. I’m trying to educate myself using YouTube but I’m still not sure this is a job for an amateur.
its not
call a plumber
itll be expensive but itll be done faster and better than you can possibly hope to do yourself
Pros only
Just shit in a bucket, anon.
Just piss in a bottle.
It's not as bad as you think.
Yeah I wouldn't do it, even though I have done other kinds of exposed pipe jobs myself.
im not a plumber, i could be done with this project in less than an hour, but it costs 400 dollars for me to show up so whatever i got plenty of business.
flex tape
personally i just steal panties and tie them around the problem
Looks like a drain, internal corrosion is blocking it up so water/shit sits in place & eats away.
Anyway it's no big deal, just cut both ends and replace with PVC. Cut on vertical sections if you can reach them. They make adapters for both sides, avoid any inside lip or edge going against flow, and get your slope right if you're replacing a long section. PVC is noisier but basically weightless and won't corrode.
You'll probably need to add extra bracing to the remaining pipe before cutting in, since it's probably using its own rigidity to stay in place.
If it's a pressurized line, that's a pro job, call someone
> cut both ends
You can get schedule 40 or ABS in whatever size that cast iron pipe is. 4" probably.
And get some fernco or similar couplings in that size. See photo for what style to look for. You'll ideally slide the metal clamping sleeves over each remaining cast iron end, first, then put on the first rubber coupling on one end, OVER / past the internal middle rib, onto your PVC/ABS. Then, put the other coupling on the opposite end, and connect that end of the CI/ABS pipe, but don't clamp it yet. On the side you pushed the coupling past the rib, pull it back until you feel the rib pop down, and it should be 50/50 on your CI and ABS.
Your PVC (or ABS) may be cut a bit shorter than max, because you've got to massage and squeeze the rubber coupling inbetween. So there will be a little 'gap' or float of no more than 1/4".
The rubber couplings will 'hold' the pipe up while you slide the metal wrap-around clamps into place. Then usually a 5/16" driver or small socket wrench, and you tighten down the clamps.
If you need to support the pipe, get some nylon plumber's strapping or hangers.
Fernco advertisement
Dig a temporary trench under the pipe to direct drainage away from the house.
Yes
Plumber here.
1. Measure pipe thickness
2.Find place where you can cut with a big ass angle grinder
3.Measure length of pipe you wanna replace
4. Order pipe and adaptors for new pipe (for example PP or PVC)
5. Cut that shit straight (very dusty and dirty, might wanna use mask and someone helping with a vacuum cleaner)
6. Install new pipe with 0.5-2 percent level
7. Fix your new pipe on wood, steel or pipe clamps
8. Test if your piping connections are not leaking by using your drains
Tools needed:
-Big angle grinder (200+, alternatively a small one of you have enough space)
-Vacuum cleaner
-Some screw drivers and a hammer
-Some buckets for the dirt
-Maybe a drill for the clamps
There are tons of ways of connecting pipe.
Even a problemloser like me can see that debris and filth would pile up on the upstream side of that joint.
>Drainage flowing upstream
You know what gravity is?
Good information from
I will add that having done this before a few times (I'm only an amateur) you may find that when you start cutting, the pipe may start breaking in different places such as joints upstream or downstream from where you're cutting. The vibration/stress can cause other areas to break, so you may wind up having to replace a lot more than the small section where you're actually seeing leaks. Odds are that a whole lot of your cast iron drain pipe system is at the end of its life and is nearly corroded through, even though there is only visible leaking in a couple of small spots.
You can use a piece of paper or a ribbon or something as a guide which you wrap around the pipe and mark your cutline in order to get a relatively straight cut.
Pic related "no hub coupling" has a steel band all the way around the coupling rather than just having pipe clamps and a rubber sleeve like the cheap couplings that are often used by handymen. These things are MUCH much stronger and more stable. There's a trick about using them though-- you remove the metal banding, install them onto one side of the joint, then fold/roll the rubber back over itself so that you can get the repair piece put into place without having to fight against the rubber fittings at each end. Just google about how to use them and it will make sense.
Good luck if you diy it, OP.
At this point I think it all needs to be replaced. This is the worst area but there are other pieces of pipe that are showing signs of the same damage. I could probably bandaid this problem today but it’s just going to keep happening. I feel like the best option is to just get it all replaced in one shot and be done with it.
>cast iron pipe breaks when you as much as only look at it funny
I was told when helping out a plumber that you have to be gentle with old cast pipes and treat them like you would your girlfriend.
I beat my girlfriend so that analogy doesnt really work out
I was going to say this. Yes, replacing all the pipe is ideal, but if you don't have the means to do that you just get the right Fernco couplings and replace the sections that have rotted with a section of PVC. If you do it cleanly and cut the piece to the right length and tighten the couplers correctly it's an almost permanent fix. More of your city water and sewer is held together with larger versions of these things than you would like to know
>eplace the sections that have rotted with a section of PVC
Yeah. But OP's waste lines go under the slab. Could be just as bad there.
Time to call a plumber with a video camera to survey the entire system.
I think there are liners that can be put in buried pipe. But I don't know if they are worth shit and OP isn't likely going to be doing that kind of work.
4 inch cast iron
sawzaw works too
yep
order, go your ass to the store
yep, wrap tape around the pipe to give a line to follow
yep, an inch of drop per 10 feet
yep, also when you cut the existing pipe take note of if its supported, cast iron pipe is heavy af
yep.
you could do it with a hack saw if you like to suffer cause cast iron is a very soft iron
lay down plastic and segregate work area from the rest of the house, it is a shit pipe afterall
huh a hammer for what, get an impact and the correct driver for the hubless connectors, a screw driver really for what, oh yeah suffering.
Holy shit, I didn't know metal could rot.
Yeah. A buddy of mine was looking at houses, all older. While he was keeping the real-estate lady busy, I'd go into the basement and start banging on shit. On one of the houses, I banged those cast iron pipes with a hammer, that was sitting around (light taps, really) and the hammer sank in, right up to the handle. Pipe looked absolutely fine, from the outside.
KEK It's a life saver to have a friend like you, and some practical knowledge. He must've been happy that it the discovery saved him thousands and a lot of hassle.
Did you just give him a signal when you went upstairs? The agent probably thought you two were gay.
What does the mould even eat? Iron? I still can't believe it.
Are you moronic? it's cast iron, it's rusting through.
OP SAID ROTTING!
Rotting can be used to describe rusting anon.
Just say rusting.
Nta but I’ve literally never heard rotting being used to describe rusting. That’s stupid.
>Nta but I’ve literally never heard rotting being used to describe rusting. That’s stupid.
It's a very common way of saying it across many areas and disciplines. It's not any stupider than the use of any other word in any other situation.
You just find it distasteful because the idea that you're unfamiliar with a common phenomenon makes you aware that you're ignorant and out of touch, and that makes you feel insecure.
Cope
I'm likely older than either of you and that usage, mostly regarding sheet metal when not applied to actual decay is quite common.
if it's leaking it probably smells like it's rotting
I'm gonna do a public service here and explain to you that a quiet word or a nod will suffice. I'd hate for you to try to get your friend's attention and stick your tongue in their ear - because that might be awkward.
Have you tried turning it off and back on again
Fernco
I'm not a plumber and I don't have much experience, but before you go cutting a section out of that pipe, I would definitely make sure that there is some good meat on it, somewhere. The areas that AREN'T leaking could be as thin as tinfoil. When you think you've found a "good" area, lightly bang on it with a hammer or something.
OP, if you are really interested in fixing this PrepHole you can make a top view diagram of your pipes with diameter, length and so on and post it here. I do this kinda shit for living and can tell you what you need to buy and how to do it before you start the work.
Why did you use flex line and not 3 45 elbows
Why does that building drain pipe go out of a window?
i appreciate the offer but the bathroom these pipes are running from is the last part of the house that needs modernizing and it's a lot more than just pipes. i'm currently looking at just biting the bullet and using this as an opportunity to have the whole thing gutted and redone.
no, that pipe is the drain coming off of the bathroom sink. thank god the pipe coming off the toilet is seemingly intact at the moment.
uh...is that doodoo?
>uh...is that doodoo?
No its obviously poopoo...
angle grinder it away and put some duct tape over it
>put some duct tape
moronic b8 KYS.
Semi related question
My sister in another state has a water heater and the dumbshit who installed it years ago didn't use the dissimilar metals adapter (it's still in the box on the floor)
So there's a fair bit of corrosion where the pipes meet
I can't get out there to help and she doesn't want to pay for a handyman, what's the worst that can actually happen? Is it just going to be less efficient or could it burst any day?
The corrosion is both inside and outside.
If it's a drain, it'll get blocked up at the joint, upstream will overflow & the joint will eventually start dripping.
If it's a pressure line, you'll get crap downstream clogging up filters, and eventually it'll crack & spray a crapton of water everywhere, probably when she's gone for the weekend.
You don't want to clean up water damage. Get it fixed.
Here’s the whole thing.
contemplate the aroma
flush all drains with only water, perferably hot water, for a day or two. get pvc and two no hub connectors and pipe hangars. cut pipe on both ends, its heavy maybe get your wife to carry it off. install new pvc pipe and no hub connectors and hangars. take huge dump to make sure pipe doesnt leak, make wife watch. lol nice.