Cast Iron for noise control:
Yes, some homes will use cast for the drains, sometimes plastic on the venting to save some money. I've plumbed some condos in nothing but cast iron no-hub.
I plumbed one home in Clyde Hill where the Median sales price this year is $3,490,000. This was back in the late 80's though. I had just done my home building thing, and had gone back to plumbing. I had quoted to plumb this guys home, big investor from Las Vegas I had heard, kind of wondering if he was such a big deal why he didn't have a plumber or others contractors that were his "go to" guys. Everyone else had long term relationships.
So I plumbed his home according to the contract, and when I was done, he wanted his
"I have more money than you, I want my rich persons discount".
Yes, he was complaining that I used noisy copper piping for water and ABS for waste and vents. He thought his beauty of a home was needing more than what the contract called for. I laughed and said his was a pretty average home and I had built homes that were nicer. That made him mad and he called me a liar. Funny considering that he was the one being cheap. And I had to prove to back up my statements.
He cut me a check for a partial amount. I took him to small claims court. Our court date was going to be December 28th, right in the middle of the Christmas break. He was furious. I went to his office in downtown Bellevue, an entire floor of a highrise there. At one point as I was sitting, he stood up, leaned over me and he cocked his arm as if he was going to slug me in the head. The guy with him had this horrified look on his face watching this go down. I was thinking, you know me, the son of a judge in Bellevue, and one of five boys that fought for fun, I had helped get my 6'3" brother spar getting ready for his heavyweight fights, that if he proceeded to slug me, well, I was going to own him. And it wasn't like I hadn't been slugged plenty of times in the head and by my brothers that were bigger and stronger. The moment passed and I left the building.
Later, a woman from the office called and said she would have the check. I met her, and she came with her husband to hand the check over.
The entire thing seemed like something out of a strange movie, the drama and the fear in that office. I suppose that she had thought that anybody that stood up to her boss must have been really scary. Unbelievable. From my standpoint, it was more like being on a job site and fighting over the music being played, or where we were plugging in our power cords. This white collar guy was trying to do the intimidation thing with a plumber. Not happening. And of course it helped growing up hanging out with my friend whose dad was chief of police, and my father who was the local judge. You just have to marvel at the people that think they are the mafia.
1987
Little brother Shannon with the white glasses. He loved boxing and Kung Fu.