Rehabbing an older house that has 4″ cast iron waste pipes. It seems that during at least one prior partial rehab, a half bathroom was installed on first floor. The CI waist pipe from the toilet travels only a short distance before meeting up with the main.
However, in that short distance, in order to make it around an odd curve, several pieces are joined together at angles – pushed more together on one side than the other. All joints are packed with okem and leaded. Several attempts to wrap the joints with lead sheets appears to have been tried in the past. All can be moved to some degree with slight pressure. Still, when the toilet is flushed, some seepage occurs and the floor underneath the joints are wet or at least damp depending upon amount of usage.
I’d like to cut out the whole menagere’ of CI and replace with plastic but there’s a problem. The oddly joined together pieces are done so that the pipe makes it around an odd angle in the foundation. (Nothing in this house is normal – everything is odd) It’s nothing any combination of 45, 90, 22.5s will cure. Cutting into the foundation doesn’t seem to offer any solution either except if you were to cut a new exit hole in the foundation and join this waste line with the stack pipe some distance from the inside wall of the basement area. Not sure if that’s code.
Short of a full replacent job, is there a modern day way to wrap all the joints and seal them up permanently? Sort of like shrink wrap all the joints with some material that’ll will hold up for some time? In the span of 3 feet I must have 4 joints leading into the main – all of them cobbled together to make this angle, and all of them dripping. Is there such a thing as flexible 4″ plastic waste pipe?
Any ideas? Before I started I had recommended tearing the structure down to grade and starting over – I still think this is the wisest course – but the homeowner won’t go along with it – too many sentimental values attached to the house to give it up she claims. However, it’s fast becoming a money hole.
Thanks.
Griff
Replies
Have you considered dropping down to 3" plastic and maybe using an offset toilet flange to shift the starting point thru the floor. I have used a rubber donut that allows a 3" pvc pipe to fit into the hub of the 4" cast iron. They don't take up hardly any space and work great.
BTW, I'm not a plumber, so don't know about the code, but I do know that 3" is fine for 1 toilet.
No wraps that I know of. They make a tape for small pipe that is supposed to bond itself to itself but I don't have much faith in such items for the long haul.
However. You can buy rubber elbows and I think I have seen 45's. These are not a true "flexible pipe" but can buy you a few degrees when needed. Also when putting plastic together as long as you glue both pieces prior to assembly you have a few seconds to work with it, and you can gain a couple of degrees by pushing the pipe in the fitting, twist slightly and then move it in the direction needed to alter the angle.
The rubber elbows I have used are Fernco products so using this combination I think I could come up with most angles in 3'. Keep in mind if using these products you can't bend them to the point of closing off the pipe diameter. And I don't know what you inpector will think so your milage may vary. DanT
I would snap off the cast iron before the foundation, and if you can't get plumbing fittings to fit, use a piece of 3" pvc electrical conduit. With a hot box you can form that to whatever angles you need and it will glue right into your plumbing fittings just the same.
I'm having a hard time imagining something done in CI that couldn't be recreated in plastic. As others have said they make rubber couplings that will flex a bit, and you can get a few degrees of bend every time you glue pipe into a hub or plastic coupling. There is nothing illegal about short pieces of pipe with couplings. I think a professional plumber would just rebuild what you have, probably quite quickly. Get someone out there to look at it.
is there a modern day way to wrap all the joints and seal them up permanently?"
Griff,
Are you trying to fix to code?.... or fix the problem? I tend to think that you you could leave it as is, and it would be legal, (once you touch it, it has to be brought up to what ever the jurisdictional code says.) or do something better and leak free, but in violation of the law.
If I where in that situation, I'd either custom fab/modify up some PVC pipe and fittings, or a convoluted epoxy laminated fiberglass pipe. Now this wouldn't be a typical DIY project, but would work. Did I mention it would be against code?
WSJ
Edited 10/2/2004 1:02 pm ET by WorkshopJon
Got any pictures? Hard to imagine something in cast couldn't be redone in pvc with a greater flexibility in positioning. Do not attempt to cobble, thats unfair to anyone using/occupying the house.
3" cu, an electric conduit bender, and no-hubs?
SamT
Any ideas?
Yeah ... call a plumber.
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry