Can a cast iron drain line be replaced?
Lanny, who lives in Campbellsville, KY, asked me a great question about old cast iron drain pipe. “I’m going to renovate my bathroom and my main drain line for the water and sewer is the old black cast iron pipe. Is it against the code to keep the cast iron pipe or do I have to replace it with the PVC pipe?”
Is it possible to connect PVC pipe to cast iron?
At this point in the game, most cast iron is so bad that finding a viable piece to connect the PVC pipe is almost impossible. And since most cast iron systems are underground, getting to the pipe or a usable piece of pipe might involve tunneling.
Can a cast iron pipe be used on a thin wall?
Newer cast iron pipe is made so the wall thickness is uniform. Old true cast iron pipe could suffer from thin-wall syndrome, but that’s no longer an issue. It’s also easy to work with if you’re creating a new branch line.
What’s the best way to cut PVC pipe?
Put on your safety glasses and use the reciprocating saw to cut the pipe at your marks. There are a few different tools you can use to cut cast iron: a snap cutter, a reciprocating saw, or a grinder.
Lanny, who lives in Campbellsville, KY, asked me a great question about old cast iron drain pipe. “I’m going to renovate my bathroom and my main drain line for the water and sewer is the old black cast iron pipe. Is it against the code to keep the cast iron pipe or do I have to replace it with the PVC pipe?”
At this point in the game, most cast iron is so bad that finding a viable piece to connect the PVC pipe is almost impossible. And since most cast iron systems are underground, getting to the pipe or a usable piece of pipe might involve tunneling.
Put on your safety glasses and use the reciprocating saw to cut the pipe at your marks. There are a few different tools you can use to cut cast iron: a snap cutter, a reciprocating saw, or a grinder.
Newer cast iron pipe is made so the wall thickness is uniform. Old true cast iron pipe could suffer from thin-wall syndrome, but that’s no longer an issue. It’s also easy to work with if you’re creating a new branch line.
