Best way to cut this cast iron pipe

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KiviP

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Hey all,
So im doing my upstairs bathroom and see that the me original plumber did the work from above so it already had a box cut out. It is a lead pipe tied into the CI and I might as well remive it now before it leaks. Would a snap cutter be the best option? Space is tight and there are tons of pipe around and sawzall might be a bit too tricky. Now the CI pipes are from 1961 so they are not crazy old. I cut the vent stack this connects to downstairs for another project and it looked pretty good. Would pipe falling apart be a concern? I know that if the pipe is too brittle for a snap cutter it is most likely on the way out even for a sawzall.
Second question is about the vent. I assume it is safe to say it can be removed as my local code says a toilet within 6 ft of vent does not need separate venting.
As bonus, look at what the plumber did to the joist...it has held up for 60 yeara but i think i need to get my framer to come out and add double headers. Only 2.5 inches of joist left....
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MISWFL

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Angle grinder where you can easily reach and a sawzall with a carbide non tooth CI blade for the rest. Use pipe dope on the inside of the Fernco, if that's what you're using to connect the new PVC.
 

KiviP

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Angle grinder where you can easily reach and a sawzall with a carbide non tooth CI blade for the rest. Use pipe dope on the inside of the Fernco, if that's what you're using to connect the new PVC.
Thanks for the suggestion. Cut it out with sawzall and diablo blade. Took way longer than i wanted just because of the tight space. The cut is not as sqauere i want but I think with the shielded coupling it should be fine. Thoughts? I had ti maneuver the blade so might have cut the bottom at a slight angle.
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KiviP

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This the coupling I have. Not sure if I should got with 1065-44RC as it is twice the length of this one. This is 2 inch and the string back one is
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4 inches
 

KiviP

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I put a clamp around it at most it is 1/8 off at the bottom. Should be fine since it is pretty small
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Jeff H Young

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Come on! that looks perfect from my house. that cut is fine the grinder method was good idea too messy as hell I wonder about the health issue but used angle grinder many times Sawsall with proper blade is better if not a little slower but all that grinder dust yuck. goods job
 

wwhitney

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This the coupling I have. Not sure if I should got with 1065-44RC as it is twice the length of this one.
That's the right style if your cast iron is "extra heavy". Otherwise you want 3000-44. So measure the OD of the cast iron, is it 4.3" or 4.5"? The difference is small, so in practice I would expect the 3005-44 to work with the smaller pipe.

The 1065-44RC is only listed for underground use, so that's out.

Cheers, Wayne
 

Jeff H Young

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I know its not legal but on that old pipe with the horrible seams that were never meant to have a band on them Id trust a the longer and thicker fernco coupling. a shielded one with 4 bands would be awsome but unaware of one those puny 3000-44 or 3005-44 I never liked for this application but thats our bible and code we follow . Id concider dressing off the top of the pipe the hump in it with a grinder
 

Tuttles Revenge

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The cut is perfect. I will grind off the ridge and use a very light coating of Hercules Grrip on the mating surfaces and the exposed face of the CI.. The grip will seal any imperfection since that CI was never meant for bands and it will coat the exposed cast iron to reduce its rusting.
 

Jeff H Young

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good idea on the using grip! for better seal . I never put anything on the ends of my castiron pipe when I have cuts though.
A place I worked at exposed me to GRIP for threaded joints on diesel fuel tanks good stuff I think but havent bought any
 

Tuttles Revenge

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Its basically a gasket maker. It needs to be applied very thin on both mating surfaces. Too much and the band will slip right off. But if a thin layer tacks up it will act like a slow contact adhesive. I've used it in lieu of a tub gasket when the supplied gasket was too thick to allow the threads to engage.

Its very messy tho. Sticks to any and everything, doesn't wipe off, spreads everywhere white within a mile radius.
 

KiviP

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Come on! that looks perfect from my house. that cut is fine the grinder method was good idea too messy as hell I wonder about the health issue but used angle grinder many times Sawsall with proper blade is better if not a little slower but all that grinder dust yuck. goods job
Thanks! Yeah besides all of the sparks, the dust was a concern for me too since i have leaded pipes as well. I know it is hard to get it perfect, even snap cutter will create jagged or uneven lines. I already filed the edges so it is not sharp
 

KiviP

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That's the right style if your cast iron is "extra heavy". Otherwise you want 3000-44. So measure the OD of the cast iron, is it 4.3" or 4.5"? The difference is small, so in practice I would expect the 3005-44 to work with the smaller pipe.

The 1065-44RC is only listed for underground use, so that's out.

Cheers, Wayne
It is old cast iron so it is more of the XHCI type. It is 4.5 and thats why I went with the 3005 and not 3000 since 3000-44 is for CI and not XHCI
 

KiviP

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Thank all for the guidance. I am pedantic and my engineering brain loves everything to be perfect and up to spec and that is not reasonable.
 

Jeff H Young

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Thank all for the guidance. I am pedantic and my engineering brain loves everything to be perfect and up to spec and that is not reasonable
I gotta tell you the sizes of the bands dont make total sence as xh cast iron is technicaly the exact same OD as plastic sch 40 drain pipe. so I not being an Engineer think a proper band would have equal ID on both Ends, but its multi use and one size fits most . But if you have it right on it being xh than you are good to go according to specs
 

Tuttles Revenge

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There is no way to know unless you measure the OD. And it can vary from piece to piece since they never needed OD consistency until they started making bell ends with rubber gaskets.
 

KiviP

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So my pedantic brain had me call Fernco :D They told me Proflex is made out of neoprene, while 1056 is PVC (thicker and stronger). The expect the cut to be near square with Proflex since there is a stopper and not much wiggle room for bad cuts. 1056 has a ticker rubber, it is 2 inches longer (2 vs 4 inches) and has 4 clamps and removes the concern for a perfect cut. The rep basically said that would be a much stronger connection. 1056 also has no stopper so you can adjust accordingly.
 

Reach4

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I think the ones with an RC suffix have a shield, which adds two more clamps.
 

KiviP

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I think the ones with an RC suffix have a shield, which adds two more clamps.
It is a longer one and thicker gasket in comparison to Proflex
 
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