Plummber has confirmed I have a broken drain pipe about 6 ft from where it enters my basement. It appears to be running across the full length of my basement so I am wondering will the remaining pipe also break. Is there a way to reinforce the remaining pipe once I gain access to the break?

If the break is 6' outside away from the house no worries about the basement pipe When he back fill his repair the new repair should have a 1' of crushed rice mix stone over it before backfilling the dirt I think you are panicking here a bit but that's understandable.
I'm not sure about
is there a way to reinforce the remaining pipe once I gain access to the break?
Can you explain in more detail please.
I'm a contractor for 30 some years and you have me a little confused here.
So if you can help me out a bit that would be great!
Thank you

Signed 21 boat

The break is in the basement slab, 6 ft from where the standpipe enters the slab. Since a portion of this pipe has failed is it reasonable to suspect that the remaining pipe will also fail. If so, then are there any steps I can take to reduce/prevent the rest of the pipe from failing?

Oh I read about 6 ft from where it enters my basement.
There not really much for you to do unless you want to cut the floor and expose pipe. Is it you worried that the stand pipe may fall? If you have good plumbers they should know what to do but don't be shy to express your worry they work for you,

Yeah figured the only way was to breakup the concrete. Once I have the pipe exposed, can anything be done to the remaining "good" pipe to prevent me from having to do this again? I need to do this myself, anything to watch out for?

Let me explain a bit more about my drainage problem and how I repaired it. 54 year old house. The builder used sub standard cast iron in the drainage. The 4" house main was completely ate up on the bottom of the pipe , blocked with roots and welling up in my living room floor. I was sure that the main had broke in two and I would have to jack hammer up the floor and tunnel under the foundation to transition to PVC, pick up the back bath and move the main outside the house but I had to know what was going on under the slab so a friend suggested running a camera down there. There was no distinct break in the main, however,it was completely ate up on the bottom. That's when Rooter Man of Sarasota and Gulf Coast Florida suggested relining the main, (see image). It took a day to clear the roots and pressure jet clean the main. Next day they came back and relined the main with epoxy. I now have a sewer main that will out last me, (50 year guarantee) and the best part is that I didn't have to, tear up my house and the cost was under half of what I figured to take the main outside around the house. Another bonus was that it was done without tearing up or disturbing my house. When they were finished I kept a piece of the epoxy liner to check it out. It was white and had the same thickness of Schedule#40 PVC.
I was amazed at the equipment RooterMan had outside my place. The equipment he had cost upwards of $100,000.00. Hi tech stuff that took a technician to run it. There were 3 men and 2 trucks to do the job. And it was completed in two days. Lottsa difference from the old days when I went out on a sewer call with a Ridged K-60 Sewer Machine and a ladder to get to the roof vent. I just wanted to point out that there's another option besides replacing drainage that the years have ruined. If your pipes are a candidate for a reline job I strongly suggest you look into it before you decide to replace the drainage pipes. I did and saved a bundle in addition to keeping my home intact. Just thought I would share that with you . Regards, Tom

Thanks, I will see if anyone can do this in the Cheyenne area.


I left my name and number with 4 companies and never got a response about the epoxy repair. I broke the concrete up and exposed the pipe and found one section was collasped. Any problem with replacing the bad pipe with PVC? The last section of my standpipe got damaged while I was breaking the concrete. Can I use PVC and encase it in concrete? What is the correct way to prep the pipe before pouring concrete?
Thanks for the help!

You may replace the old cast iron with Schedule 40 PVC. Cut the rotten cast iron back to the good stuff and use No-Hub Bands,(see image) to connect the pipes.
The soil covering the pipes should be enough cover. Good luck and thanks for rating my reply. Tom

What is the difference between a no hub connection and the flexible connectors?

A Fernco Neoprene Coupling,(see image) is flexable and can sag when used underground. This creates a bell in the line that could trap water. For that reason I prefer a ridged coupling such as a No-Hub Band or a Fernco Shielded Coupling,(see image). Regards, Tom

Thanks, Looks like everything has dried out so I should be able to get it all premanently connected tonight.

More then happy to help. Let us know if you need farther assistance. Cheers, Tom

Thanks Everyone! I had some issues but much fewer because of the comments from this group!