MA cast iron pipe plumbing question

lmei007

lmei007

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I am in boston MA. My old cast iron sewer pipe has a crack in my basement. I have asked few plumbers came to give me a quotation. Some of them told me a PVC replacement to that damaged section is ok. But some of them told me PVC cannot being used with existing cast iron and a cast iron replacement is a must which is more expensive.

Any MA licensed plumber can tell the truth? I have read few books in store and most of them use PVC to replace the bad cast iron section.

thanks,
 
You may want to private message GrumpyPlumber.
I think he works in Boston.

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https://terrylove.com/forums/member.php?do=getinfo&u=13447
 
master plumber mark said:
I am willing to bet that the fellow that told you
to replace it with cast iron was 5 times more expensive
than the guys that told you the PVC was ok...


the pVC will last you about 400 years....

someone is blowing smoke up your a//
Click to expand...

I told him that.
Code won't allow PVC under the weight of cast iron on a vertical stack...not here.
Horizontal runs are ok, but not vertical.
Ever see what happens to PVC when it's been under a substantial amount of pressure over time?
 
In another forum this same poster recieved IMHO some good advice to go ahead with the plumber that said PVC was Okay but make sure the job was permitted and inspected... I'd say that should get him a cast Iron stack at PVC prices!:D
 
I would think that if the vertical stack was supported well with hangers, it should be fine with pvc, but can see problems if it was not supported.
 
I hear ya! It works ok in Connecticut! But... Mass. Code sez... No dice!

They also have another law that says a homeowner cannot do plumbing in their own home other than some very minor repairs.
 
Mass is one of the hardest on DIY plumbing.
I had no idea we were exclusive until I started popping into websites like this online.
Every year there are news headlines of CO poisonings/deaths, fires and unfit living conditions...ma isn't too keen on homeowners or handymen dabbling with sanitary or gas/co systems without a license.
Humorous recollections of my first few posts here, and Terry's reactions to my approach.
I thought the idea of homeowners doing their own work was ludicrous, as would most plumbers in my state...apparently other states are different.
As for the CI stack with PVC...trust me, it's a no-no...last time I even bothered to ask an inspector was a job I did for a guy from this very site...the inspector just cut me short in mid questions, waved his finger at me with a smirk and said... "no-no-no....you should know better".
Whats really got me bugged is the insinuation that I'm being untruthful or misleading for the sake of profit...maybe we ought give Don Laconte a call...he'd know best, he's the local inspector.
 
No Grump...
No Need!
I know you are right! Its the code and law in Mass.

I just worry about how much illegal work is done there without anyone knowing... It least here there is a possibility that a homeowner would get a permit and have it inspected... I'll concede though we still have a lot of really bad homeowner and handyman stuff that is still done under the radar!
 
Redwood said:
I just worry about how much illegal work is done there without anyone knowing... It least here there is a possibility that a homeowner would get a permit and have it inspected... I'll concede though we still have a lot of really bad homeowner and handyman stuff that is still done under the radar!
Click to expand...

It all comes out in the wash, I constantly get requests from RE co's or mortgage/banks to estimate faulty plumbing from prior homeowners because the home inspector calls them on defects and the sale is on hold until it's repaired, or the price is adjusted according to estimates...most plumbers I know will charge more to repair/replace bad plumbing than they'd charge to do it right the first time.
 
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