Should I replace cast iron?

[K.C.]

Hi all, new here and new to owning a home as well (and have no plumbing experience at all!). Hoping you all can advise whether I should replace my 1944 house's original cast iron plumbing with PVC. I've read that cast iron has an 80-100 year life span, and it's at 77 now. I'm in the process of renovating, so more or less all the plumbing is or will be exposed--so it seems like maybe a good time to do it? But maybe I'm jumping the gun if there aren't any issues yet. I've attached a picture of the main stack running through the bathroom and a cross section of the toilet drain (not the best pic of the inside, sorry).

Thanks!

 

[404 neil]

Yes. You will have other spots in the cast iron that are worn out even more and have thinner walls and are probably much closer to leaking. I have a1955 home and all but some cast iron still remained when I bought it. I just replaced the little that what was left of it because it degraded and leaked from where the laundry drain and dishwasher were connected. Harsh detergents and chemicals I suppose ate at it in certain areas. The ceiling in my basement bath paid the price

 

[Sponsor]

 

[404 neil]

Yes. You will have other spots in the cast iron that are worn out even more and have thinner walls and are probably much closer to leaking. I have a1955 home and all but some cast iron still remained when I bought it. I just replaced the little that what was left of it because it degraded and leaked from where the laundry drain and dishwasher were connected. Harsh detergents and chemicals I suppose ate at it in certain areas. The ceiling in my basement bath paid the price

I could poke thru the pipe with a flat head in many areas it was so brittle

 

[Sylvan]

As it is exposed now is the time to replace it with CAST IRON no hub

CI has proven reliability and it is quiet and safe.

 

[K.C.]

I could poke thru the pipe with a flat head in many areas it was so brittle

Thanks for your insight! Sounds like I should go ahead. Did you replace with PVC?

 

[K.C.]

As it is exposed now is the time to replace it with CAST IRON no hub

CI has proven reliability and it is quiet and safe.

Are you saying I should replace with new cast iron rather than with PVC? I haven't heard that before but I'll look more into it.

 

[Jeff H Young]

a very high percentage use plastic, what is better is a matter of opinion but the biggest factor in decided which is better is cost both labor and material. If a plumber was donating his time and material I'd pick cast for sure, but me being a plumber on my own house I might go either way, am I staying or passing house down to another generation? Is noise any factor at all?
But like I said I see about 90 percent plastic going in on these jobs but doesn't mean its "better" Totally agree with Sylvans assessment reliable , quiet and safe and I'm adding rugged . plastic holds up well also not horrible or bad and easy to install and easy on the wallet

 

[404 neil]

Thanks for your insight! Sounds like I should go ahead. Did you replace with PVC?

Yes definitely PVC super easy to work with and lightweight. Cast iron is heavy and expensive.

 

[404 neil]

Yes definitely PVC super easy to work with and lightweight. Cast iron is heavy and expensive.

I meant all of the cast iron was previously replaced in my home with PVC sometime prior to when I bought it 2 years ago and I just replaced the little CI that was left on the far end of home underneath the laundry and part of kitchen soon after my ownership as it had failed. I’m sure being built in 1955 there were even more leaks/corrosion everywhere so I assume that’s why previous owner had 97% of it replaced already.

I don’t know why anyone would replace with cast iron today in residential. I’m not sure when geographic locations make a difference but I’m in Atlanta and I would never use cast iron

 

[Terry]

Where I'm at cast was used on high rise buildings, four stories and up, more for fire protection purposes. I see many of those here in the Seattle area now being plumbed with ABS. They do have fire protection plumbed in for those.

 

[Jeff H Young]

Custom homes 2 story if they are high dollar still use cast iron for upstairs waste at times. If its 2 or 3 million bucks its at least discussed . Plastic is used more for cost than quality but we've gotten to a point that very few are willing to pay for it and some benefits are arguable

 

[K.C.]

Thanks everyone for your insight and expertise! I will likely go ahead with replacing with PVC, as I'm on a tight budget.

 

[Sylvan]

Yes definitely PVC super easy to work with and lightweight. Cast iron is heavy and expensive.

YES expensive better to USE THE Cheapest , most dangerous types of materials in your own home

Use Quality materials only in the better houses and commercial installations GREAT IDEA ( NOT )

We just finished several multimillion dollars homes and although we could have skimped on materials we use copper Type L strictly for the heating and above ground waster supply and cast iron for ALL the waste and vent lines and one home wanted something a little better so we use extra heavy cast iron under ground and the two roof drains with inside leaders were Cast Iron drains with 4 PSF Sheet lead 3' x 3' x 4 PSF and had caulked
joints

If you think about a trouble free system and easy to maintain the CI is the best choice as there are long sweeps as opposed to tight radius ells

CHEAP YES for a valid reason and this is why I why I would never expose my employees to it or any of my accounts

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+toxicity+of+PVC&gs_ivs=1#tts=0

 

[Sylvan]

Jeff, we did some low income housing and good conscience knowing the inherent dangers of plastic we opted for CI .

No wet venting , no cheater vents all long sweeps on the drainage lines and the minimum diameter of the waste and vent lines was 2"

It took me a long time to invest into buying lots of Mega and pro press fittings and tools as it is safer for the employees and I no longer need to have my employee certified to use acetylene or other combustible fuels other then natural gas

I figure I am only as good as my last job so I may as well try to be consistent

Rather then expose my employees to the poison of primmer and glue and the health hazards they are known for why expose my companies to the suits that may come down the pike as Asbestos and mercury are now being brought before the courts

 

[Sylvan]

Anyone remember the "state of the art" PEX failures where plumbers who were sued lost in court ?

Expert witnesses had a field day with these suits

https://www.classaction.org/pex-plumbing-lawsuit

When I testified against the failures I along with other stated "It was installed improperly" as going after product liability I found very difficult as the manufacturers have deep pockets but most installers have liability insurance and they either had coverage or their insurance company denied the claims .

Either way the expert witnesses got paid

The installers did not follow directions as what happens with the ABS failures was easy to state as the manufactures usually did blame the installer

With Cast Iron for example it has over three centuries of proven reliability so my exposure to a system failure is reduced considerably and this is where contractors can save money

Remember Orangeburg piping? AMAZING STUFF for sewer replacement companies and sewer cleaners as these systems stated to disintegrate a fortune was made by the experts who testified against it and those who installed it

https://www.google.com/search?q=ABS...QCSAQCYAQCgAQY&gs_ivs=1&sclient=gws-wiz#tts=0

 

[K.C.]

Hi all, a follow up question:

All the plumbers I contacted either didn't get back to me or are booking beginning Summer 2022. I want to finish up the remodeling well before then, so I'm wondering--how hard do you think it would be for me as a plumbing novice to replace just the long middle part of the cast iron main stack (that goes through first floor and finished attic), leaving the basement fixtures (which could be accessed by a plumber in the future) and the section that penetrates the roof? There are no connections to it in that section, just straight pipe.

I'm hoping it would be as easy as- take out cast iron in small sections, replace with PVC in as long of lengths as possible, tie in to existing cast iron with Fernco couplings. But maybe it's not actually that easy?