Aging Iron Drain Pipes – What a Nightmare
Category : service
You need to look carefully to understand what you’re seeing. This is a first floor to second floor cast iron sewer pipe, otherwise referred to as soil pipe. It is in many if not most older homes in the Stark County area. It was still being used in the mid-60’s. I know this because I remember helping my dad install soil pipe as a young boy.
Soil pipe were heavy cast iron segments about 3 feet long with a normal end and a flared end. The normal end was inserted into the flared end, packing rope was wedged into the flare. Molten lead was poured over the packing to the top of the flare. This was the technology of the time.
Look carefully at the amount of rust! The remaining active sewer pipe in this home is basically a lace of rust barely being held together. The water you see flowing is waste water from the 2nd floor bathroom, toilet, shower, and sink.
Needless to say, any attempts of ‘sewer cleaning’ would cause the pipe to disintegrate completely. The only remedy in a situation is to have a qualified plumber re-plumb the whole stack and possibly even replace pipe to the city sanitary sewer connection or to the septic system.
The key takeaway for DIY homeowners is to know the risks of poking and prodding existing plumbing. Sometimes there is no easy way out, only the hard way and the harder way.
Location: Alliance, Ohio
#dontdiy #calltheplumber #problemsdontagewell
