Greeting...

I accidentally drilled a hole in a high rise Cast Iron Sewer Pipe.

I know, I'm seriously devastated as much as if I accidentally kill my dog. You'll ask how can you "accidentally" do this... and you'd be right...

After much self-renovation the last drill cut I made was to mount a cabinet over a bathroom toilet... my brain was dead by this point and I was frustrated over-all... My stud finder said to "drill here" and when my drill hit the pipe I thought it was a stud... I think half way through drilling I got distracted by a phone call and came back to finish the hole... when my drill punched through I thought this doesn't seem right... so I cut a 2" hole into the sheet rock to have a look... to my horror it was a 4" Cast Iron pipe... the drill bit was 5/32...

I'm a perfectionist (why I was looking for a stud to start with) and now I can't forgive myself for this...

My condo is on the 9th floor of a 22 story high-rise... I have confirmed with the building maintenance man that it is a sewer drain pipe, without confessing my sin to him...

Being the perfectionist I now want the best "fix"... one other caveat is that the hole is in the middle of a "Y" split of so a band is not an option... also I was able to 100% stop the leak temporarily with a golf tea to give you and idea of the "pressure" in the pipe...

after much reading and calling around and visiting plumber shops my options were as follows:

1. to replace the pipe... (probably a $50,000 fix over-all once I pay to re-renovate the apartment above me which will no-doubt be needed to get to the whole pipe and replace it)
2. to have the hole spot welded (learned that this would plug the hole but will certainly crack the pipe)
3. to use JB Weld or other epoxy (I just couldn't trust this for some reason)
4. to drill out the hole bigger and insert a Toggle Plug (this little hole is ruining my world, why would I want to make it bigger)
5. and my idea, to find a matching stainless steel machine screw and hope I can get my drill to turn it fast enough to seat it into the hole, after stuffing the hole and coating the screw with liquid nails

I went with option #5 and with most of my body weight into the drill, the drill spun up fast and as the screw got hot, I think it slightly melted the threads and proceeded to seat into the hole until my drill would no longer turn without jumping out of the Phillips screw slot- the screw seated sold... I think it seated in about 1/4 of an inch...

In continued disbelief, I've stared at this "fix" for 3 days now through that 2" sheetrock hole I made, and no leaking is occurring- just as it wasn't occurring with the golf tee...

I still can't get this off my mind... it's like a dead body behind my now re-mudded sheet rock... I think to myself, what if human waste acids eats the screw... did the screw damage the pipe or hurt its structural integrity... and of course how long will it last... I'd appreciate any thoughts, and honestly I'm fishing for some reassurance... Thanks for any and all feedback!

Mr. deflated

JB should work fine. Then, put a rubber tube patch over the hole and hold it in place with a screw clamp.

JB should work fine. Then, put a rubber tube patch over the hole and hold it in place with a screw clamp.

Thank you for the reply :)... there is a "y" split off for the toilet above me - that's right where the hole is and why I can't get a screw clamp around the pipe.. I agree I didn't want to use JB alone... if I could have used JB and a clamp I would have... instead I ran in the stainless steel machine screw with liquid nails..

Thank you for the reply :)... there is a "y" split off for the toilet above me - that's right where the hole is and why I can't get a screw clamp around the pipe.. I agree I didn't want to use JB alone... if I could have used JB and a clamp I would have... instead I ran in the stainless steel machine screw with liquid nails..

Should be good to go. I would also slather some 5 minute epoxy over the screw. It will be there forever.

As a DIYer, I've done much worse than this.

Lol

Should be good to go. I would also slather some 5 minute epoxy over the screw. It will be there forever.

I will do that... Awesome to hear that 'forever' word - it was forever before I 'screwed' it up and I want to know it's going to hold indefinitely without obvious problems.

Pipes are all new to me and I've 'gotten' a new found appreciation (and respect) for pipes in general... I guess I was also worried about the 2 different iron/ stainless steel properties somehow speeding up any erosions effects in the cast iron... I'm probably over thinking this...

The stainless steel screw sticks out about 1/2 inch and I thought about cutting it off and sanding it for aesthetics (yeah behind sheet rock, ha), but decided to leave it the way it was, and use the excess to make a little ant hill around the screw with liquid nails on the outside... I'll substitute the LN for epoxy as you suggested... Thank you so much for your thoughts!!

As a DIYer, I've done much worse than this.

Lol thanks for that - first time I've laughed in 3 days!

Quit worrying.

If you think that bad, try dropping you teeth down the toilet bend.

Quit worrying.

If you think that bad, try dropping you teeth down the toilet bend.

Oh no!. not sure you'd want to recover those.. haha