All-

As always, thanks for all the help. Back again with another question.

We are considering an addition to our home which would include 1.5 bathrooms. We are trying to figure out how invasive and damaging the work is going to be. I took some photos a few months ago when we were having some work done, but unfortunately the walls are all close up now.

Based on the photos below, any chance we can tie into this stack for the bathroom additions? It is perfectly situated, but I cannot tell if the soil stack is the right size.

Any thoughts would be much appreciate!

Thanks!

Hi stubits...

What fixtures are on the PVC pipe? I'm betting that the toilet (and sink?) in the picture connects underground onto the cast iron pipe with the PVC so count these in with the fixtures on this line when you list them all out.

What fixtures are on the cast iron in back of that?

The PVC looks to be 3"...confirm this OK?

The cast iron also looks to be 3", but an extra heavy 3". Hard for me to tell....could be a service weight 4" cast iron... hmmm? Look at the hubs on the cast iron pipes and see if you seethe pipe size and XH or SV.

Back to you?

MARK

Ok. Thanks for the reply.

The PVC pipe (visible in the picture) has the kitchen sink from the floor above and the lavatory sink. There is an underground 3" pipe that has a kitchenette sink, washer, tub and of course the toilet.

There is nothing at all on the cast iron pipe behind it.

I really don't know the sizes and the walls have long since been closed up. I am guessing the PVC is 2", but could be wrong, was also guessing the cast iron was 2".

2" pipes are not large enough to connect a bathroom and a half too....

You could connect into the 3" underground... ;) But 3 toilets is maximum allowed on 3" drain... and you have other fixtures so pushing it here...

Is there a 3" or 4" pipe above ground anywhere near this area?

Let me know...

MARK

I still CANNOT figure out how is that 3" PVC connected / attached to the Cast Iron......????:confused:

It appears to me that there is an active leak. Pipe looks wet and "shiny" on top of the Cast Iron hub ( pic 1 and 2 ).

Milo...

Looks like the 2" PVC pipe was put in the hub and then leaded in (see how thick that lead ring is?)...

Not code, not pretty, but I've seen it done in plenty of places over the years. I always use a PVC MANHOFF fitting... works for code, is thicker and doesn't melt as deep as the PVC pipe.

MARK

Guys thanks so much.

First, I should be more careful with the photos I post, you are all too observant. This is a "before" shot, but it showed the setup better than anything else I had. Milo's right, it was leaking. If they did lead it in, then they did a poor job because it was leaking and I could pull it out by hand. My plumber cut the cast iron hub off and attached the PVC to it with a rubber hub. Does that sound appropriate?

OK, now for how to tie in the addition. We have two "stacks" that run from the basement up through the roof. The one you can see in the photo (appears to be 2"), unless it really looks like 3" to you. I honestly can't be sure. The second one is about 10' away and services just the second floor bathroom (1 toilet, 1 lav, 1 tub). It is definitely 3", perhaps even 4" (how can I figure that out?). To get from the addition to that stack would take a little bit of work, but would certainly be possible.

The other option, perhaps the better option(it would reduce the number of angles in the drain and would avoid the need to build a soffit) would be to break open the slab and tie in underground. Below see a very basic diagram of the house's layout. Clearly there must be a cast iron drain pipe running from the rear stack(blue) either to the center stack(red) or directly to the sewer(green). Which setup is more likely? Can I tee into that drain pipe somewhere between the blue and red stacks? How would I go about locating the drain pipe? Since it is cast iron, any chance I could use a metal detector?

Thoughts?

Stubbits: . What your plumber should've uses is: Street 90 and Shielded (No-Hub) fitting to connect new PVC and old Cast Iron.