Should I replace ~40ft cast iron drain pipe? Inspection video + pictures

[mrjb25]

I am in the middle of a remodel & decided to have a sewer inspection (Video below). The plumber recommended a replacement of approximately 40 feet of cast iron. The house was built in 1957 so I assume it is original. The section in question is from the middle of the house to the front of the house. The section from the front of the house to the street was replaced in 2016. He stated there was some spots where there was standing water & possibly a chunk of cast iron around the 5:18 mark. The replacement cost quoted was between 8k-10k, which wasn't budgeted for the remodel, however the walls / floor are open so he would be able to get rid of ALL the cast iron / galvanized & upgrade to ABS. Hopefully the drawn photo makes the inspection clearer. I was hoping to get some thoughts on the matter. First time poster & low skilled DIY'er. Thanks in advance to all who share their knowledge

 

[John Gayewski]

I don't really have to look at the pictures to agree it should be replaced.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

If there are chunks of Cast Iron in the drian, its likely toasted. The time to replace is now while its open.

Get a couple other estimates from other contractors but don't mention what others have found to keep all their insights authentic.

 

[mrjb25]

Thanks for the reply Tuttles. It was just 1 piece of "something", which was hard to tell from the video. That's a good idea about not mentioning what was found. I tend to be a little chatty sometimes so I'll keep that in mind. Appreciate the response. I'll be getting a few other estimates for sure

 

[mrjb25]

I don't really have to look at the pictures to agree it should be replaced.

Thanks for the reply John. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't getting a blanket "replace it". He did state it was a slow time for business which is why the quote was 8-10k, which I thought was reasonable. I've been in my crawl space too many times and the space from the ground to the joists are around the width of my chest so it's very tight. He said they would have to dig most of it out by hand. The other benefit of replacement is he said he could possibly relocate the stack vent to allow for a wall hung toilet. It's a small bathroom (4' x 7') so space is valuable. Thanks again!

 

[mrjb25]

If there are chunks of Cast Iron in the drian, its likely toasted. The time to replace is now while its open.

Get a couple other estimates from other contractors but don't mention what others have found to keep all their insights authentic.

Thanks Tuttle! That's a great tip.

 

[Jeff H Young]

Ok well I clicked on the camera and after a minute or 2 clicked back off thanks for including it but didnt want to sit through entire thing. Yea bi8g remodel get rid of all that old crap you said floor is open heck yea do it now.
I wouldnt spend a dime to camera id get a bid to repipe the entire waste and vent system up to at least the attic
personaly Id get a bid it shouldnt be that much digging id run it barely below the top of dirt and throw a couple 45s or 22s at far end if needed to dive down . good luck Share more about the job if you like.

 

[mrjb25]

Ok well I clicked on the camera and after a minute or 2 clicked back off thanks for including it but didnt want to sit through entire thing. Yea bi8g remodel get rid of all that old crap you said floor is open heck yea do it now.
I wouldnt spend a dime to camera id get a bid to repipe the entire waste and vent system up to at least the attic
personaly Id get a bid it shouldnt be that much digging id run it barely below the top of dirt and throw a couple 45s or 22s at far end if needed to dive down . good luck Share more about the job if you like.

Thanks for the reply Jeff! I should have mentioned the first 2 minutes are him trying to get past the cast iron tee, then it gets clearer. I'm getting 2 more bids this week so I should have 3 total by the end of the week. I will keep that suggestion in mind. If I have any questions on the "strategy" of the replacement I'll be sure to post it back here. It shouldn't be that much digging but it is a small crawl space. There will be a small section of cement that needs to come up outside as well. It's where the new pipe from 2016 meets the cast iron (as seen in the drawing). I'm single story so I wouldn't mind getting rid of all the cast iron including the vent to the roof. Thanks again & I'll be sure to post updates as they happen

 

[Jeff H Young]

I guess its kind of good that you arent already locked in to using this plumber yet . and not nessesarily bad for them either to be able to see whats really involved is a good thing and they wont have to guess high on the difficulty of the job. I hope it works out to get good work at a decent price for both of you.

 

[mrjb25]

I guess its kind of good that you arent already locked in to using this plumber yet . and not nessesarily bad for them either to be able to see whats really involved is a good thing and they wont have to guess high on the difficulty of the job. I hope it works out to get good work at a decent price for both of you.

I'm curious to see how the bids vary. I'm hoping for a decent price too since I didn't budget for this & it's out of my level of DIY. Not plumbing related, but I just did a 200 amp panel upgrade & the bids varied from $3,600 - $9,500. The $9,500 bid didn't even come out & gave me a bid over zoom. At least all 3 plumbing companies will be coming out, so hopefully they're all within the same ballpark so I can just decide who I feel most comfortable with.

 

[Jeff H Young]

I guess you mean such a wide price range that its absurd not that you want all your prices between 8 and 10 grand I know Id be hoping that none of the other 2 bids are even 8 grand Id be hoping that was the highest at this point. I like a small company one and 2 man shops . overhead on bigger companies is a lot , smaller companies have risk though too, un licsenced un insured , no worker comp etc.
Cant you connect a piece of pipe at the 2016 connection and run it into the house by the first connection? how about demo out the old pipe? also most or many guys leave all the old pipe and trash under house you can have it all clean open walls and floors etc make it cheaper.
What about water are you repiping?

 

[Reach4]

Blue sky idea: spend a *bunch* of money, and have a basement put under the house. It is expensive, but is relatively cheap floor space.

This works better if the ground water level is not high, and the dirt under the house is diggable-- not rock.

 

[mrjb25]

Blue sky idea: spend a *bunch* of money, and have a basement put under the house. It is expensive, but is relatively cheap floor space.

This works better if the ground water level is not high, and the dirt under the house is diggable-- not rock.

Haaaaaa. I believe that would put a slight increase on the initial budget. If my sewer line replacement bids come in over 100k I'll consider it =)