[knightpitt]

My wife and I just purchased our first house last Wednesday and moved in the next day... it's 78 years old and in the city...

Well, there were some issues to begin with... a 78 year old toilet to fix the internals on and some under-sink drain plumbing to do... but I got all of that done fairly easily.

After I fixed the kitchen sink, I was feeling quite good about myself (it always feels good to get a job done well). A couple of days later, I was in the basement, washing my hands in the big sink, and I noticed that there were some suds and water coming from the "stack pipe" (whatever it's actually called) coming from the kitchen. It apparently leaked from when my wife drained her dishwater. It does not leak when just running water down the drain.

This is leaking about 2-3" from the cement floor, and there is actually already a rubber patch clamped onto exactly where the leak is coming from.

So, this pipe is 3" or 4" 78 year old iron, and isn't in the greatest of shape. Unlike the other stack pipes in the house, the exterior is rusty on this one, probably from exterior water at some point in time. So, I would imagine that it's on its last legs. It takes water from the kitchen sink and maybe the 3rd floor bathroom (which we don't use).

I'm a big DIY-er (and am fiscally stretched enough), so I'm wondering what would have to be done to fix this. I doubt that another patch is do-able, and the pipe that is leaking is poured into the cement. There is no joint above the floor to just replace that pipe. So, what would be a common method to fix this? Am I looking at having concrete broken up for this? Also, can you give me a ballpark idea of a what I'm looking at to get this done (under $500, under $1k, under $2k)? What's the typical method for replacing/re-threading/connecting to an iron stack pipe with no joint, even once you clear out far enough to cut the pipe cleanly?

Also, for a robust DIY-er, what do you think? Do I have a chance? The way that I figure, all that I need to do is tools, knowledge, and experience. Tools I can rent or buy, knowledge is what I'm asking here for, and experience I only get by doing it.

Thanks in advance for any advice/help!
~Ben

[RickJ]

This is where my lack of formal knowledge will really show... but nonetheless what I would look to do:

You are speaking of a vertical stack, correct?

I'd go to Lowes/HomeDepot and ask what material is acceptable to use (why not plastic?), how to tie it to the current stack (boots of some sort), bring that stuff home and get out the SawZall to cut out the bad section of the stack, first a couple inches above the floor so that the boot can attach, then above where it's bad.

Now, speedball will probably be along in a moment, either chuckle at me or whack me on the head with a ball-peen, then tell us the industry standard way to do it. :p

[knightpitt]

You are speaking of a vertical stack, correct?

The stack is actually vertical along the outside wall and then, about a foot and a half above the floor it angles away from the wall at about a 45 degree angle. The angled piece is actually the one that has the leak.

I'd go to Lowes/HomeDepot and ask what material is acceptable to use (why not plastic?), how to tie it to the current stack (boots of some sort), bring that stuff home and get out the SawZall to cut out the bad section of the stack, first a couple inches above the floor so that the boot can attach, then above where it's bad.

The leak is actually within a few inches of the floor. It's so low that I doubt that I would be able to cut within a far enough from the floor and still have room for some sort of a boot. Also, the pipe isn't exactly new at all... it's much more corroded than the other stacks. And, aside from the angle section and the vertical section, I would heavily prefer to not have to replace any more pipe, as it would quickly begin to require pulling down walls, which is a project that I can ill afford right now. So, if I replaced it with PVC, then I would have iron-pvc-iron connections, which I am not sure if that's okay. But, the connection to the rusting pipe is a big concern of mine.

If it weren't for the problem of the leak being so low to the ground, I would have been doing exactly what you recommended last night! :)

[RickJ]

I see.

Plan B, then: Wrap it.

There are both rubber and fiberglass "tape" products that would probably work just fine.

I prefer the rubber. You stretch it out a bit, then wrap it around tightly, and as it tries to shrink back to it's original size, it grips very tightly... so tight and secure, in fact, that I've even gotten away with using it on pinhole leaks from supply lines.

I've got a couple of rolls of it, but not the packaging so don't remember what it's called... but if you describe it in the plumbing section of Lowes/HomeDepot they'll point you to it.

[knightpitt]

I guess I should attempt to remove the previous patch before I attempt to wrap it then, eh? Boy that'd be scary business... I am afraid of how much of a hole will be left in the pipe when I try to do that. I guess that's worth a try, though! Thanks for the advice!

[speedball1]

Hi Ben,

You may not be as bad off as you think. You have options and all of them way-way under your estimate of 500 to 2,000 bucks. What you have on there now is a saddle clamp. This is a rubber gasket secured by a "U" bolt.
The cast iron is evidently ate up to the point where any cutting out and replacing a length might cause the weakened cast iron to break off under the floor so we'll trash that idea.
What we're left with is wrapping the pipe with a repair tape or installing a clamp-on sleeve over the crack/hole in the stack. I like door #2. A full clamp will not only stop the leak but will add to the ridigity of the cast iron, thus giving it more strength. Check out full clamps at; http://www.romacon.nl/Products.html
And if you're interested in tape you can check that out at; http://www.wired-2-shop.com/joneakes...geID=&CatID=10
How'zat for a cheap fix? Tom

[RickJ]

BTW, Congrats on your first home purchase!

[knightpitt]

What you have on there now is a saddle clamp. This is a rubber gasket secured by a "U" bolt.

That's exactly what it is! When I pull that off to put on the sleeve or tape, I'll try to clean the residue off the pipe with... a wire brush and WD40?

What we're left with is wrapping the pipe with a repair tape or installing a clamp-on sleeve over the crack/hole in the stack. I like door #2. A full clamp will not only stop the leak but will add to the ridigity of the cast iron, thus giving it more strength.

Hopefully these products will be carried locally. I'll be looking for both/either of them over at the Home Depot tonight, and will be using the sleeve if possible!

BTW, Congrats on your first home purchase!

Thank you very much! There's so much to do and I'm only a week into it so far. Hopefully this winter will be kind to us!

[RickJ]

Hey, that power wrap stuff looks cool. I'll have to check it out. Looks like something that out of be in each of our Maint. Guys' vehicles.

[knightpitt]

Well, over the weekend I took another look at the pipe, and it doesn't appear that the clamp on sleeve idea is going to work. Because the pipe that is leaking is going at a 45 degree angle into the concrete, the location of the leak makes it impossible to fit a sleeve around the whole thing. So, it looks like I'm going to have to try out the wrap idea. I'm pretty apprehensive about pulling off that saddle clamp in order to put the wrap on. I'm afraid of making the whole situation worse, because if I pull that off and the pipe is really rusted underneath, well, that'll be ugly.

Oh well... I guess it's just about time to do surgery! Hopefully the wrap will work.

[RickJ]

I don't envision a problem.

The fiberglass product should do just fine even if there is a gaping hole. The finished product will be rock hard.

Just plan ahead a bit so that you've got a few hours of no drain use (especially solid waste :eek: ) while you're figuring it out :p

[knightpitt]

So, I tackled the issue last night (finally). Well, the problem was more interesting than I thought… better in some ways and worse in others. I had worried that the pipe would be all rusted out and I’d be constantly worrying about the pipe beneath the floor. Actually, the cast iron was in great shape. It’s very thick and certainly not rusted through; in fact, it was hardly rusty at all. The problem was that a piece of the pipe about as big as half my hand was broken off (right at the floor). It was caulked and held in place with a saddle clamp and some rubber (albeit ineffectively). So, I pulled that *all* off. I thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed the area with concentrated Simple Green and a stiff wire brush. I then rinsed it all down with water.

I purchased some Hercules ProPoxy20 from a local plumber’s supply store, so I decided to try working with that. If you’re not familiar with the product, it’s just white and black clay that you mix together in your hand and then it hardens in about 20 minutes. So, I mixed that stuff up and made a thick bead of it around the piece of cast iron that I was going to put back in place. I carefully placed the piece back in, trying to ensure that as much of the clay got inside of the pipe as outside (but there’s no way to be sure of that), then smoothed out the clay on the outside and tried to press it into any gaps. So, it worked. I filled up the kitchen sink several times and drained it, and it didn’t leak a drop. So, I was successful… for now…

Do you guys have any opinion on the product that I used or my method of repair? How long do you think it will last? I’ll have to post before and after pictures tomorrow.

[RickJ]

Way to go knightpitt!

I think that will work just fine - probably for many years and possibly even permanantly.

It's not uncommon that you'll guess at a fix, then try something different once you get into it.

[speedball1]

I have used Hercules ProPoxy20 for years and have nothing but the nicest things to say about the product. It hardens like metal and you can even thread it if you wish. Your patch should last the lifetime of the pipe. Good luck and we're glad your problem's solved. Tom