Leak story with questions

[tarance_c]

Background:
We have lived in a house built in 1925 for a year now. Everything above the basement is CI pipes plumbing wise. In the basement copper has been patched in here and there. The patchwork is terrible; it is direct connect from CI to copper. I have started to put in Dielectric unions on the worst looking connections.

Current trouble:
There is an upstairs bathroom with all original piping. The drain has been very slow to almost clogged since we been there. I have snaked it many times, used drain maintenance stuff from home store, and even used the pressure bulb to blow it out. Each with some success that lasted for a limited amount of time. I finally pulled out the mainline cleaner (lye). I only left it in for 4 hours. Man it made a huge difference.... maybe to much of a difference. A couple days after this the drain got perfect and I spotted water spots on the down stairs ceiling. This is what I think happened but here is the rest of the story.

Ever since we moved in, when I turn on the upstairs shower cold water the hot water knob leaks. I always thought it weird but never saw water anywhere else. This is also a possible culprit, or contributor to my problem.

Possible fixes:
I can try to piece meal it and just fix the one drainpipe. This would probably require me to dig into he ceiling below the bathroom.

OR

Replace all the upstairs plumbing, CI water and CI waste. HUGE remodel.

OR

Pay to have someone do it.

I am a very handy DIY. I have plumbed gas, water, and waste at various times, and am not scared to jump right in. I figured that fixing it all myself would require me tearing the plaster wall up and down for an entire floor and the ceiling of the downstairs bathroom. I would also have to tare out the walls in my closets to get to the sink water supply and shower water supply.

All this is doable in my mind.. I hate and worry about making it look pretty afterwards. I am not sure about replacing the plaster with drywall. I dislike drywall work in general.

Here are my questions.
1. How much would a job like this cost to have done?
2. How much would a job like this cost to do it yourself?
3. If I used PVC for all the waste lines upstairs how would I attach the PVC to the 5" or 6" CI in the basement? Currently the CI waste from up stairs comes into the basement and turns 90 degrees at the ceiling. Then it joins other large diameter pipes from the lower bathroom then straight down into the floor.

I am looking for thoughts, recommendation, and solutions. Thanks in advance for all your help.

[Gary Swart]

Keep in mind, it is really easy to spend someone else's money. That said, I think you would to totally foolish to piecemeal this job. Pipes as old as you have all have to be on their last legs. The lye treatment probably hastened the demise of the pipes where you used it, but the rest of them are not far behind. You pose three questions. #1 is impossible to answer. To even come to a ballpark figure, one would have to be on site and evaluate the job. Even then, local plumbing rates will vary widely from area to area. Safe to say, it would be many pieces of eight! #2. This is the reason many of us are DIYers. We don't have to figure labor costs into the job. All it really will cost is materials. Again, this is impossible to even estimate on line, but if you can determine what you will need, it shouldn't be too difficult to figure material costs. Certainly there are the additional problems of gaining access and repairing what you would have to tear out. #3. This is an answerable question. Joining PVC and cast iron is done with no-hub connectors. You get them sized on one end for the PVC and on the other end for the cast iron. There is at least one thing that you should consider. This is a major, major job. As a DIYer, it will take you considerable time and during this time, you will not have a usable drain system. A professional contractor will have the expertise, equipment, and manpower to get in and out much faster. It's a trade off that you have to determine. In the meantime, I'd suggest you stay away for the chemicals.

[Cass]

You need to open up walls and /or ceilings, find and see exactly what is leaking and then you can ask us questions...right now we have no more idea than you as to what is involved.

If your drain piping is galvanized the pipes were most likely rusted out but the guck lining the pipe was keeping it from leaking. When you poured the lye in the drain it ate the guck away and allowed it to leak.

[tarance_c]

I guess I was just making sure I was not going to get a resounding don't do it yourself.

I can cap off the supplies and the drain system once I open it up so that we can continue to live we just can't use the upstairs bathroom.

I know I will have lots of questions once I get going. I feel much better about doing the project knowing I will get good info here. Thanks and the technical questions to follow... might wait until next weekend to plunge in.

[Billy_Bob]

Don't be afraid of drywall. It is easy and looks very good when done *if* you have the right tools for the job! Note I do not texture my walls, I like the smooth look.

This is the thing with all repairs. If you have the right tools for the job, it is a pleasure to do the work. If you don't have the right tools, it can be a very frustrating experience.

The good news is tools for drywall work are not expensive. For holding drywall up to a ceiling, I just make a couple of "T's" with 2 x 4's.

To learn more about drywall, search google.com for the words DIY drywall.

Once drywall is no longer a problem, then anything can easily be fixed. I need a new outlet installed somewhere, no problem! I tear that wall apart. Need to fix some plumbing - just tear that wall out and fix it!

Note that right now I have my bathroom, hallway, and part of the kitchen torn apart. Before I stick up drywall, I'll totally update everything in those walls. New plumbing, new and extra outlets/wiring, wall phone jack for the bathroom, move previously exposed wires to inside the wall, etc.

Once I finish, daily life will be a pleasure. I will have plenty of grounded outlets everywhere I need them (no jiggling plugs or bending prongs to get them to work!), the plumbing will work, the shower head will be ABOVE my head instead at chin level, and if someone calls when I am in the bathroom, well the phone will be right there!

And that is the thing with walls - remove them and you can do whatever you want.

[tarance_c]

Thanks for the words of advice. What you say is too true. I am comfortable doing everything but drywall. As soon as I get over that the sky is the limit.

[gear junkie]

I finally pulled out the mainline cleaner (lye). I only left it in for 4 hours. Man it made a huge difference.... maybe to much of a difference. A couple days after this the drain got perfect and I spotted water spots on the down stairs ceiling.


You tried to fix the line yourself to save some money and now you have a huge problem. I applaud you wanting to fix this yourself but is the health of your family worth it? I lived in gulfport, ms after katrina and mold damage is nothing to play with. Insurance companies here won't even insure you once they know you have mold. Can't give you a price of work because you never listed a location-NYC costs more then BFE. Demolition is one thing you safely can do that reduces costs.