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    novice_diy's Avatar
    novice_diy Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Oct 28, 2009, 10:41 AM
    Repairing cast iron pipes in slab - lining or repiping?
    Camera inspection of waste drains inside the slab of my 40 year old house shows corrosion and some slight offsets at joints. Plumber wants to line the pipes for $10,000 with 1 year warranty. Is this a viable option to re-routing the pipes through the attic?
    Milo Dolezal's Avatar
    Milo Dolezal Posts: 7,192, Reputation: 523
    Plumbing Expert
    		  
    #2

    Oct 28, 2009, 01:43 PM

    Tom is the one who will be more than glad to give you his opinion on relining. Wait few minutes, he will drop by...
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #3

    Oct 28, 2009, 04:08 PM
    Let me explain a bit more about my drainage problem and how I repaired it. 54 year old house. The builder used sub standard cast iron in the drainage. The 4" house main was completely ate up on the bottom of the pipe , blocked with roots and welling up in my living room floor. I was sure that the main had broke in two and I would have to jack hammer up the floor and tunnel under the foundation to transition to PVC, pick up the back bath and move the main outside the house but I had to know what was going on under the slab so a friend suggested running a camera down there. There was no distinct break in the main, however,it was completely ate up on the bottom. That's when Rooter Man of Sarasota and Gulf Coast Florida suggested relining the main, (see image). It took a day to clear the roots and pressure jet clean the main. Next day they came back and relined the main with epoxy. I now have a sewer main that will out last me, (50 year guarantee) and the best part is that I didn't have to, tear up my house and the cost was under half of what I figured to take the main outside around the house. Another bonus was that it was done without tearing up or disturbing my house. When they were finished I kept a piece of the epoxy liner to check it out. It was white and had the same thickness of Schedule#40 PVC.
    I was amazed at the equipment RooterMan had outside my place. The equipment he had cost upwards of $100,000.00. Hi tech stuff that took a technician to run it. There were 3 men and 2 trucks to do the job. And it was completed in two days. Lottsa difference from the old days when I went out on a sewer call with a Ridged K-60 Sewer Machine and a ladder to get to the roof vent. I just wanted to point out that there's another option besides replacing drainage that the years have ruined. If your pipes are a candidate for a reline job I strongly suggest you look into it before you decide to replace the drainage pipes. I did and saved a bundle in addition to keeping my home intact.
    If you can get a reline job for a thousand bucks, snap it up!! Mine went the entire 4" main and cost me five times that much. Good luck, Tom
    massplumber2008's Avatar
    massplumber2008 Posts: 12,832, Reputation: 1212
    Senior Plumbing Expert
    		  
    #4

    Oct 28, 2009, 04:17 PM
    Tom...

    All good information as usual... However, Novice DIY said that his estimate was $10,000.

    I would confirm for novice diy that relining is a very decent alternative to digging up the pipes in most circumstances, but I would also suggest that he get 3 estimates and take the estimate that he feels best about!

    Always check references... ;)

    MARK

    .
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #5

    Oct 28, 2009, 05:00 PM
    Damm eyesight! I have macular degeneration and sometimes it blanks out a portion of a word. Thanks Mark.
    Novice, Unless you have a bunch of branch intervals coming off the main $10.000 sounds out of line. I had 55 foot of 4" main with two branch intervals and the cost was under $6000.00. Follow Marks suggestion and get three estimates. Good luck, Tom
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