My house, built in about 1937, has the original cast-iron waste pipes (although most of the galvanizid supply lines have been replaced with copper). Over the past 10 years, three of the cast iron stacks have developed linear cracks, and have had to be replaced.
As it turns out, these all happened to pipes serving bathrooms we almost never use. The plumber is at my house now, and he says that this frequently happens to cast iron stacks that get dried out for extended periods of time. Certainly we have not had this problem with any frequently used pipes, but I remain incredulous.
It sounds like contractor lore to me. Is there any scientific metallurgical reason why the cast iron pipes would last better if they are kept wet?
Guess I will be spending this weekend plastering up another access area…..
Rick
Replies
Greetings Rick,
Good question.
This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again.
Perhaps it will catch someone's attention that can help you with advice.
Cheers
"The old Quaker Meeting house is almost 300 years old and as my sawzall made its way into the pegged ancient wood, a smell emerged that told me about dried, cracked things. The ancient Quakers sitting in the well worn pocket of their silence on the darkened pine benches were whispering something to me across the years. Something about why I was here, why we're here. Lord but it was hot. I reached in to clear anything out of what was the sill, nothing but the hardened mud, lime and sand mortar, dust and shadows." -- Jer
why didn't ya just give him this one....
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=72989.1Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Rick -- I have a second floor bathroom that is just used over the holidays each year -- one year it had a vertical crack in the basement, replaced the kitchen this year and say that it had had another repair by a period owner, and while doing the kitchen replacement - I had to replace about 10 feet of horizontal pipe -- might be some truth to the old plumber's tale -- I cannot explain why it happened just glad that we notice the leak before we had the cabinets in and the crown covering the part we needed access to -- Dudley