Can't figure out toilet waste line

I'm in the process of remodeling one of our bathrooms and I can't figure out what the heck type of pipe my toilet's waste line is using. I need to bust it out of the concrete slab it's under anyway, so I'll know more after i do that, but I was hoping to get a head start on the parts I'd need before that happens.

It's 3" in diameter and about 2'2" deep before it hits an elbow. The best scenario for me would be to dig out about 6-12", cut off about 8" of the existing riser and couple it to a new section of ABS which I can leave sticking out above the floor until I'm finished redoing the floor, then cut it flush, or just below the new floor level and slap on a new closet flange and be done.

What I'm afraid I'm going to have to do is dig out the full 2' and back to the vent stack and couple to whatever material it is and come from there with ABS. The vent itself is definitely ABS, about 5" diameter, sitting right behind the toilet location in what is now an exposed 2x6 framed wall.

The riser pipe reminds me of the galvanized used in heating and cooling. At least that's what it looks like on the inside, which is all I can see at this point.

Here's some high-rez pictures. If you've got a slow connection, be aware that the pics are pretty big! Attached is a smaller pic if you don't want to deal with the large ones. The small one is a bit deceiving because the pipe itself is in shadow and so looks black in that pic. It's not black, but silver. The best one to see the riser material is Pic4. You can see the scratch marks where i was trying to figure out what the heck it is.

Pic1
Pic2
Pic3
Pic4
Pic5

Thanks,
Gary

Perhaps some of the pros will have a better idea of what kind of pipe you have, but regardless of that, I wouldn't buy any pipe or fittings yet. If you are going to break out the concrete anyway, do that first so you can not only tell for sure what kind of pipe you have, but can see what fittings you will really need. The color of the pipe makes me think it might be lead, but that's a wild guess.

That looks like ABS pipe to me. The flange looks like ABS with an adjustable metal ring where the bolts go. The metal ring is designed to swivel to the proper alignment location after the flange has been glued in to place.

Abs is black,sch 40 pvc is white.It look to me like it could be sch 80 pvc,
which is grey.Not normally seen in residental.It may be that because it is
under a slab,it has a greater wall thickness than sch 40.You must use
sch 80 pipe and fittings if thats what it is.

Doesnt look like ABS or PVC (sch 40 or 80) to me. Looks like a lead. Take a pocket knife and see if you can scratch it easily. Lead will be quite soft. Also looks to me like someone used a wax ring with the rubber horn and the rubber is still in place. Or.....maybe I need a refund on my lasik procedure??? lmao

Good luck

Thanks for all the replies. It's greatly appreciated!

It's definitely not black ABS. Got a big one of those right behind it that's serving as the vent pipe and the waste line isn't even close. Like I said, the small picture attached is misleading because the pipe itself is in shadow and so looks darker than it is. The pipe is more obvious in the other pics. Just didn't have one of those small enough to attach to the post.

Didn't know there was such a thing as Schd. 80 PVC. Good to know. Look kinda like the gray plastic stuff sometimes used as non-metallic conduit? I don't think it's that either.

It's shiny and feels like metal. Does lead in this situation not show any oxidation? The only lead I've really worked with was when I used to mold slugs for a black powder gun when I was a kid. It came out shiny, but soon had a dark gray oxidation layer. Maybe the somewhat sealed environment in the pipe keeps that from happening?

I hope it's not lead. I didn't even think of that because the house was built in the early 70's and I thought they quit using lead long before that. Wouldn't be the first thing I've found that seems to be something left over they just threw in to get rid of though. If it's lead I'll dig it out to the vent stack and replace it with ABS. That's gonna be some rough, deep, digging in a small space.

Anyway, like Gary S. said, I guess I'll quit trying to plan ahead and just dig it out and see what it is.

Gary

This is soil pipe (cast iron). Here is the flange and bend

http://www.tylerpipe.com/soilcatalog2007/pg53.pdf

http://www.tylerpipe.com/soilcatalog2007/pg55.pdf

pipe

It is not sch. 80, and it is too smooth to be cast iron, and galvanized was never used in residences. It really looks like 3" ABS with a 3x4 collar over the pipe. That swivel flange was NEVER used with anything other than a plastic collar/flange.

The flange has "Tyler" written on it. if you do a google search, it shows you that Tyler deals in cast iron pipe with push on fittings etc...
http://www.tylerpipe.com/indexsp2.htm

It could be that the flange is tyler and the rest ABS, but its unlikely. I'm going to assume that they used all tyler products when the house was built.

flange

It may say Tyler, but it also says NSF DWV, which was never stamped on cast iron but is always on plastic. There was never a cast iron collar with a stamped metal flange, and there is no lead or Ty-Seal joint shown in the picture, but the picture I am looking at shows an ABS drain system.

Boy, every time I fix something in this house I run in to a mystery like this. Arrgghh!

Just to complicate matters, I chipped out that patch (made from thinset I believe) that you can see just to the right of the flange and dug some of the dirt out. My view is limited, but the outside of the pipe certainly looks like ABS and feels like plastic. The inside is definitely metal though. It's almost like a galvanized or lead-lined ABS. Seems crazy, but that's what it looks like to me.

I'm renting a demo hammer this afternoon or tomorrow morning so I'll know more then. Unfortunately because I still don't know if I'll be able to just replace a section of the riser by coupling to ABS or if I need to dig down to where it connects to the stack I'm gonna have to bust out enough concrete to have the room to dig down the full 2' which is where the waste line elbow is.

Just for some additional information, when I took out the shower the drain line is ABS, but the concrete had been busted out and looks to me like the purpose of that was to replace the shower's drain line. They just left it busted out and put in a shower pan that supported it's own weight around the perimeter. The bathroom sink drain line is ABS and seems to be original.

Thanks again to everyone for their input, just please don't abandon me 'til I figure this out!
Gary

Is it possible the inside of the pipe has been discolored to a whitish texture or look? I have seen that happen with older ABS piping.


NSF will stand for "National Science Foundation". I can't see why they could not oversee the fabrication and testing of Tyler CI bodies (It is possible). I may be wrong

Actually, it refers to NSF International, a non-profit organization that rates kitchen, plumbing, DWV,etc products for health and safety. It started as the National Sanitation Foundation. It looks like piping wise, they did rate Tyler for cast iron
http://www.nsf.org/

Squ1rrel said:

Actually, it refers to NSF International, a non-profit organization that rates kitchen, plumbing, DWV,etc products for health and safety. It started as the National Sanitation Foundation. It looks like piping wise, they did rate Tyler for cast iron
http://www.nsf.org/

Click to expand...

I stand corrected

Thank you

No Problem, I've had experience with NSF ratings. Doesn't help that NSF stands for so many things...like Non Sufficient Funds...see that one way too much

Squ1rrel said:

...like Non Sufficient Funds...see that one way too much

Click to expand...

been there.................. done that lol

metal

Looking at some of those pictures, but not all of them, I do not see anything there that could be construed as metal, other than the flange's ring.

I'm one embarrassed dumb ass (pardon the french). Krow had it right, the silver stuff I saw was just some thin coating. Then everyone else had it right that it's just plain ABS. I hammered out the concrete and dug it out to the elbow and once I got deeper than the THREE couplings on the end saw the good ole ASTM on the side!

While I'm ashamed to show my cyber face here again, it's almost overridden with the joy that for ONCE something in my house wasn't sold to the builder by a snake-oil salesman who promptly left town after the sale!

I apologize for my ignorance and for wasting your time. Can't tell you how much I appreciate the help and for sticking with me.

I hate to do this, since I've probably already overstayed my welcome, but... I also discovered the little jewel in the pictures attached. A PVC fitting glued to the ABS for my bathroom sink drain. There was no evidence of a recent leak and we've been here for about 5 years. Unfortunately there's not enough ABS coming out of that "T" for me to cut off the PVC and glue on a new ABS fitting. What would you guys recommend?

Thanks again! I owe you all a six-pack (or case) of your favorite beverage.
Gary

Easiest thing to do, No hub coupling. The one with the stainless steel band around it


I'm glad we could help