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I cracked my cast iron pipe.
Well, I've gone an' done it now...
I'm tapping into a 4" CI waste pipe that runs outside my house parallel to the foundation, trying to add a Combo-Wye to a new stack inside the house.
I want to use all cast-iron for the underground/through-foundation section because i feel it's stronger, and with cast iron the code does not require me to install a sleeve through the foundation. Not that this is relevant, i would have had to cut the existing CI pipe to install PVC too.
Anyhow, i have a (large, Rigid brand, rented) snap cutter and practiced with it on the new 3" CI pipe I'm installing. Worked like a charm, made a pretty nice cut very easily.
However, on the old pipe in the ground (installed 1969, probably), disaster!!
I did everything the same, as far as I can tell... but the pipe just cracked right at the top, which of course was where the ratchet part of the snap cutter was.
Of secondary concern is the fact that there's standing water in the pipe... I don't like that one bit either. Nothing has drained into this pipe for weeks, currently it only services a guest bathroom that I've locked.
So. The questions...
1) Why did this happen? Is older pipe prone to this? There was some concrete-like material stuck to the upper side of the pipe, which I chipped off as best I could so the fernco couplers could seal.
2) Would I be better off using a sawzall for the next cut(s)? What kind of blade? Fast or slow? Cutting oil?
3) I now have to cut back and replace a part of the existing pipe. What is the minimum size? Is it bad to have two ferncos right next to each other, with the small patch piece in between?
4) And finally... how bad is this standing water issue? This stack currently services a guest bath, which we've used plenty, and never have we had a problem with it... This part of the line IS pretty far from the septic tank, probably 50 or 60 feet, and around a corner.
Here's the damage: