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My first house... And already a (big) issue -- stack pipe
Asked Oct 7, 2005, 08:16 AM
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13 Answers My wife and I just purchased our first house last Wednesday and moved in the next day... It's 78 years old and in the city... Well, there were some issues to begin with... A 78 year old toilet to fix the internals on and some under-sink drain plumbing to do... But I got all of that done fairly easily. After I fixed the kitchen sink, I was feeling quite good about myself (it always feels good to get a job done well). A couple of days later, I was in the basement, washing my hands in the big sink, and I noticed that there were some suds and water coming from the "stack pipe" (whatever it's actually called) coming from the kitchen. It apparently leaked from when my wife drained her dishwater. It does not leak when just running water down the drain. This is leaking about 2-3" from the cement floor, and there is actually already a rubber patch clamped onto exactly where the leak is coming from. So, this pipe is 3" or 4" 78 year old iron, and isn't in the greatest of shape. Unlike the other stack pipes in the house, the exterior is rusty on this one, probably from exterior water at some point in time. So, I would imagine that it's on its last legs. It takes water from the kitchen sink and maybe the 3rd floor bathroom (which we don't use). I'm a big DIY-er (and am fiscally stretched enough), so I'm wondering what would have to be done to fix this. I doubt that another patch is do-able, and the pipe that is leaking is poured into the cement. There is no joint above the floor to just replace that pipe. So, what would be a common method to fix this? Am I looking at having concrete broken up for this? Also, can you give me a ballpark idea of a what I'm looking at to get this done (under $500, under $1k, under $2k)? What's the typical method for replacing/re-threading/connecting to an iron stack pipe with no joint, even once you clear out far enough to cut the pipe cleanly? Also, for a robust DIY-er, what do you think? Do I have a chance? The way that I figure, all that I need to do is tools, knowledge, and experience. Tools I can rent or buy, knowledge is what I'm asking here for, and experience I only get by doing it. Thanks in advance for any advice/help! ~Ben |
13 Answers
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| This is where my lack of formal knowledge will really show...but nonetheless what I would look to do: You are speaking of a vertical stack, correct? I'd go to Lowes/HomeDepot and ask what material is acceptable to use (why not plastic?), how to tie it to the current stack (boots of some sort), bring that stuff home and get out the SawZall to cut out the bad section of the stack, first a couple inches above the floor so that the boot can attach, then above where it's bad. Now, speedball will probably be along in a moment, either chuckle at me or whack me on the head with a ball-peen, then tell us the industry standard way to do it.  | ||||
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If it weren't for the problem of the leak being so low to the ground, I would have been doing exactly what you recommended last night!  | ||||
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| I see. Plan B, then: Wrap it. There are both rubber and fiberglass "tape" products that would probably work just fine. I prefer the rubber. You stretch it out a bit, then wrap it around tightly, and as it tries to shrink back to it's original size, it grips very tightly...so tight and secure, in fact, that I've even gotten away with using it on pinhole leaks from supply lines. I've got a couple of rolls of it, but not the packaging so don't remember what it's called...but if you describe it in the plumbing section of Lowes/HomeDepot they'll point you to it. | ||||
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| I guess I should attempt to remove the previous patch before I attempt to wrap it then, eh? Boy that'd be scary business... I am afraid of how much of a hole will be left in the pipe when I try to do that. I guess that's worth a try, though! Thanks for the advice! | ||||
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| You may not be as bad off as you think. You have options and all of them way-way under your estimate of 500 to 2,000 bucks. What you have on there now is a saddle clamp. This is a rubber gasket secured by a "U" bolt. The cast iron is evidently ate up to the point where any cutting out and replacing a length might cause the weakened cast iron to break off under the floor so we'll trash that idea. What we're left with is wrapping the pipe with a repair tape or installing a clamp-on sleeve over the crack/hole in the stack. I like door #2. A full clamp will not only stop the leak but will add to the ridigity of the cast iron, thus giving it more strength. Check out full clamps at; http://www.romacon.nl/Products.html And if you're interested in tape you can check that out at; http://www.wired-2-shop.com/joneakes...geID=&CatID=10 How'zat for a cheap fix? Tom | ||||
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| Well, over the weekend I took another look at the pipe, and it doesn't appear that the clamp on sleeve idea is going to work. Because the pipe that is leaking is going at a 45 degree angle into the concrete, the location of the leak makes it impossible to fit a sleeve around the whole thing. So, it looks like I'm going to have to try out the wrap idea. I'm pretty apprehensive about pulling off that saddle clamp in order to put the wrap on. I'm afraid of making the whole situation worse, because if I pull that off and the pipe is really rusted underneath, well, that'll be ugly. Oh well... I guess it's just about time to do surgery! Hopefully the wrap will work. | ||||
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