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wright1 · Jan 2, 2007, 11:16 AM

I want to install a new tub and shower in my basement. The old shower in the basement drained through a pvc pipe that ran on top of the basement floor directly to our floor drain. I have excavated a channel from the proposed tub site to the sewer pipe running from the first floor toilet to the basement in hopes of tapping into the line after it curved and started towards the outside and the main city sewer. What I encountered is that the cast iron pipe continued only for a foot after the bend and is attached to clay tile. I have two questions:

The first question - How is a cast iron pipe typically attached to a clay tile pipe? Does it run inside of the pipe for awhile, or does it end right where it attaches? I stopped my excavation as soon as I realized what I was looking at since I have no desire to damage the clay tile. It appears the tile is a large diameter, large enough for the iron pipe to fit in. It is sealed with mortar at the joint between the two pipes.

My second question - How feasible is it to tap into the clay tile with a 2 inch pvc pipe?

letmetellu · Jan 2, 2007, 01:23 PM

Cast iron is usually attached to the clay pipe just the way you described, with cement. Now about taping into the clay pipe, it can be done with lots of pains and practice, I am nt sure where you could get some clay pipe to practice on, and one more thing, if the clay is really old then it is that much harder to get a hole in it with our splitting it.

If you are putting the tub where the shower was why don't you cut a trench to the floor drain and run an underground pipe to the new opening for the tub, you would need to run a vent pipe to the outside of the house if you did it this way.

wright1 · Jan 2, 2007, 02:09 PM

Letmetellu,

Thanks for the answer. I didn't run to the floor drain because I could see that clay drain tiles were running into that particular drain and I thought that would interfere with trying to tap in. Instead I took the most direct route to a pipe I knew the location of, since it wasn't clear where all the pipes are running under the slab. I appreciate what you are saying about practicing on something else first before trying to cut a hole in the tile. I thought a diamond blade hole saw would work well. I would cut the diameter I needed, run the pvc into it, and seal it with an adequate material. I was concerned that I would make the hole and find that the cast iron pipe was running inside the clay tile for a distance. From what you indicated, the iron pipe should end at the joint. Last question; what are the ramifications if I split that tile? Do I have to remove that segment, extend the cast iron pipe and make a new joint with the following tile? Thanks.