******EDITED***** I went ahead and linked to both videos.The forum made me separate the videos so the other video is embedded below.

Hey everyone, I'm a first time home buyer and I have a question. We had a home inspection of the home and the inspector noted that the main drain was ABS but that it had a section of cast iron. There is a constriction into the cast iron and it is somewhat corroded. The inspector recommended we ask the seller to have this section replaced with ABS.

The seller responded with a video showing the drain working with: shower running, dishwasher running, sink running, then flushed both toilets. Flushed several pieces of toilet paper.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eag2jatjJ6k

It would be great if someone with some knowledge would watch these videos for a few minutes and give me their thoughts. I know toilet paper will flush but how about toilet paper plus poop? Tampons? Those "flushable" wipes?

If someone with experience is willing to watch this and explain it to me I'd be willing to compensate them.

Thank you!

You NEVER flush Tampons down a toilet!!

Honestly, I know that and never do it. However, my wife does it on occasion, even though I tell her not to. Did you watch the video? PS I also don't flush wipes, grease, or dental floss.

Most of the drain line looks in pretty rough condition, but I don't see anything backed up or stuck, so my guess is that you'll be OK as long as you send human waste and toilet paper only down the drain.

Can you tell me at what distance the "constriction" is in the video... there were too many transitions to be 100% sure I was watching exactly what you wanted me to see? I'll comment again after you respond.

Mark

So the cast iron starts 40' down the line and switches back to ABS at 65'

I am in the process of uploading the original video that snakes down the entire line. It's a short video 3 minutes.

Mark look at bottom of pipe 10:58:48.

Okay, here is the original video taken by the plumbing inspector that says there is a problem. The seller of the home responded by posting the first video from this thread.

Original video, there is some audio where he says the feet:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-cI-UbnUpI

At 3:17 in above video, you can clearly see that the pipe is dislodged/separated... I also see some roots sticking into the pipe at two different places (suggests that the drain line was snaked to clear roots BEFORE the video). All in all, I have to say that I have rarely seen cast iron pipe look much worse than the video piping, but again, I don't see anything obvious hanging around, so the drain seems OK??

To begin, I would definitely recommend a FOAMING ROOT TREATMENT for the drain line... done twice a year and should keep you from having to snake the drain again. Secondly, yeah, I would want to see the pipe replaced as the home inspector suggested, or at least get a little money off because you will eventually need to get the work done here!

Can you tell us how deep the pipe is?

Mark

Wow you guys are incredible. Thank you so much for the info so far. I don't think the pipe is very deep. The entire cast iron section is beneath the front yard. The house is on a raised foundation. This separation will lead to sagging, right? This will only accelerate the process, right?

That Cast Iron section looks pretty coarse to me. I go with Inspector's advice. Also, there should be no standing water anywhere in the pipe.

Milo

The separation will lead to sagging and eventually to a total blockage... never mind increased root infiltration. As much as the homeowner wanted to strengthen his case he showed you clearly that there is a problem. Like Milo said, there should never be standing water in a drain pipe!

Good luck