As can be seen in the photograph, there is a leak that looks most likely to be the result of a bad pipe. I know the pipe on the left is a soil stack, but I am a little unsure of what the pipe on the right is. The unit upstairs has a bathroom with sink, tub, and toilet, as well as an adjacent laundry room with washer dryer. Is the pipe on the right a stand pipe or an extra drainage pipe? What does IPC say about how many fixtures can be attached to a soil stack before an extra stack is require? For a commercial building, what are the common diameteres for the water supply lines? The pipe on the right isn't a supply line is it? Do supply lines get run next to drain stacks? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Plz Help In Identifiying This Pipe!
- Thread starter djr3203
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Redwood
Master Plumber
This would probably be best answered by a plumber on site.
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Jimbo
Plumber
How about backing up with the camera so we can see something more than just a white blur! Where do those pipe go to? What are the made of?
Furniture is the way and I haven't gained access to it yet. Goes straight down through the ceiling and down through the finished floor. Not sure the material of the pipes. From far away I just assumed it was cast iron, but that could have been an incorrect assumption. The big pipe is running down vertically from the ceiling down through the floor, so what else could it be other than a drain stack? Is this incorrect? Supplies don't get that big do they?
hj
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The pipes will be whatever they were installed to be. The big one MAY be a waste/soil line and the adjacent one a vent stack, especially if this is a multistory building. The water lines will be whatever size the demand and load require. There are tables that spell out the maximum loads on sewer/drain lines, and vents also.
The pipes will be whatever they were installed to be. The big one MAY be a waste/soil line and the adjacent one a vent stack, especially if this is a multistory building. The water lines will be whatever size the demand and load require. There are tables that spell out the maximum loads on sewer/drain lines, and vents also.
Ah ok HJ that makes sense. Is there anyway to distinguish whether the pipes are part of th dwv system or the supply system without having any plans and if it isn't possible to see where they hook up to in the room above? Also are supply lines only made from Galvanized steel, copper, or plastic? Is cast iron ever used for a supply line? Is Galvanized steel ever used for the DWV system? I think its a drain because waste water can be heard going down the pipe from time to time, but I don't know which pipe its going down or if its going down both. Thanks for the help all.
try a temperature test:
run hot water in a certain fixture for 5 minutes, and while it's running , touch the pipes to see which one is warm. That will prove the drainage pathway.
if this is a 1 or 2 family house, you aren't likely to have any supply pipes bigger than 3/4 or one inch diameter, and not of cast iron.
the hot water test will also tell you your hot water supply line, and if you want to, a cold water test will do the same for your cold water supply lines.
run hot water in a certain fixture for 5 minutes, and while it's running , touch the pipes to see which one is warm. That will prove the drainage pathway.
if this is a 1 or 2 family house, you aren't likely to have any supply pipes bigger than 3/4 or one inch diameter, and not of cast iron.
the hot water test will also tell you your hot water supply line, and if you want to, a cold water test will do the same for your cold water supply lines.
Southern Man
DIY Hillbilly
There's not a lot of information to go by, but to me they look like hydronic lines. The one on the left is insulated (possibly asbestos with a fabric cover) and the one on the left looks like a return. Both are probably threaded steel. Based on the rust color of the water stain its probably a slow leak above that's been going on for a long time.
hj
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There is ABSOLUTELY no way to tell what the pipes are being used for unless you can find where they come from or where they go to. Drain lines in a multi story building are usually cast iron or steel. Water lines will usually be steel or copper. You can be pretty sure that neither water or drains are a plastic material. Other than that, the lines could be water, gas, vents, drains, electrical conduits, heating/cooling lines (but not likely since they are not the same sizes), or anything else the builder needed them for.
There is ABSOLUTELY no way to tell what the pipes are being used for unless you can find where they come from or where they go to. Drain lines in a multi story building are usually cast iron or steel. Water lines will usually be steel or copper. You can be pretty sure that neither water or drains are a plastic material. Other than that, the lines could be water, gas, vents, drains, electrical conduits, heating/cooling lines (but not likely since they are not the same sizes), or anything else the builder needed them for.
Peanut9199
Customer Service Manager Plumbing Wholesale
Depending on how old the apartment is and if they have hydronic rads.
It could be a old "Gravity" boiler system.
Larger pipe to feed the rads (hot water), smaller for the return (cooler water).
Large pipe could be insulated to keep in the heat, smaller not need because it is the return to boiler.
Hey just a guess, but i have seen these systems before.
Redwood
Master Plumber
They could be a lot of things and given the information we have any answer is pure 100% speculation. Either give us more substantial information or get a plumber on site to look see and give you an answer.
