Hi,

We have an 1875, two story home with an old and badly cracked soil stack. The crack is in a closet and is fairly accessible. There is limited space behind the pipe, and there may not be enough room to wrap the pipe. I have seen several options for fixing this, but would like your recommendations on repairing a crack of this size. It is nearly 4 feet long and up to 1/2 inch wide.

About 20 years ago a plumber repaired the crack with epoxy, and my plan was to use JB Waterweld epoxy. However, after scraping the old epoxy off, the size of the crack concerned me. Would epoxy work for this? Is it too big for a saddle clamp? Is welding an option, or would it be best to call a plumber and replace the whole works? Also, if I repair this instead of replacing with PVC, should I drill small holes at the ends of the cracks to keep them from spreading?

Thanks,

Jerry Floren
Minnesota

A cast iron stack like yours carries hundreds, thousands pounds of weight. I can't tell how much pipe is above your crack but it is beyond patching if you want to be safe.

Hey Jfloren,
You're thinking repair while I'm thinking replacing with PVC.
Your cast iron is old and rotten. Time to call in outside help and get three estimates to put your drainage system back in shape. Good luck, Tom

Thank you Ballengerb and Tom. This is on the lower level, and I had not even thought about safety. I'll get some estimates. Thanks.

Jerry Floren
Minnesota

Let us know if we can help. good luck, Tom