Replacing cast iron sewer with plastic

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GrumpyPlumber

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Stainedrat said:
I have to laugh at this remark. It is a simple job that I could have done before I became a "Professional"

Would your local plumbing inspector agree?
If the pipe were to give and crash through the basement, damaging flooring, other piping, electrical or framing (I HAVE seen this happen), would homeowners insurance cover it..or would you have liability as a "professional"?
Why are plumbers required to go through hundreds of hours of school and years of apprenticeship...then to pass a test?

I'm thinking of building a nuclear power plant - in your neighborhood...time to look around online....here I go!
 

Terry

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It's just a length of pipe he's talking about.
It's not like he's using fittings.

Years ago I was asked to look at a homeowners home that he had plumbed, maybe four bathrooms.
He worked with pipes underground for the city.
I took a look, and said, Nope. Not really interested in fixing all those waste and vents to make it pass code.
His closet flanges were sitting above the floor, about 2" high, and stuck into corners. His son played baseball with mine, but that was enough.

It does take a long time to learn the way.
It takes quite a while before they even let you touch waste and vents when learning. There are too many ways to do it wrong.
They start you running water lines. That way you can learn over time, by seeing and observing, how it's done.
But they still take you by the hand, and teach why thing are done a certain way. It's an art when done right.
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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Terry said:
It's an art when done right.



Exactly. Here's the termed definition out of the code book.


Plumbing

The art of installing in buildings the pipes for distributing the water supply, the fixtures for using water and drainage pipes for removing waste water and sewage, together with fittings, appurtenances, and appliances of various kinds, all within or adjacent to the the building.
 

GrumpyPlumber

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RUGGED said:
Exactly. Here's the termed definition out of the code book.


Plumbing

The art of installing in buildings the pipes for distributing the water supply, the fixtures for using water and drainage pipes for removing waste water and sewage, together with fittings, appurtenances, and appliances of various kinds, all within or adjacent to the the building AND CLEANOUT THINGIES.

You omitted an integral piece of information.
 

jameskim

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cast iron removal switch to pvc

We were just wondering if maybe you could help us with our dilema. We are currently seeking infromation on how to remove a cast iron sewer pipe from the cement city line and we would like to update to PVC.... We have searched high and low for an answer but have been without luck. We look forward to hearing from you....
james and kim
 

Cwhyu2

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sewer tap

If you are replacing to main sewer in the street or wherever it might be,
you will need someone liecensed with the state to do a sewer tap.
If this is your building sewer from house to public sewer,certain codes apply.
Contact your local code enforcemet offical.
 

Jadnashua

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You may be able to run the line up near the city sewer and let a licensed pro install it, but they may not agree, since they had no control over the project...they don't want to risk their license if there is a problem, which I feel is entirely justified. If you find a plumber that is willing to let you do part of it, he will want to examine and be paid for the time to check your work.
 

gracedancer

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professional

I have to laugh at you guys and this professional Term like its something magic. I just had professional charge me big bucks to run a sewer snake into a septic tank a few feet from my clean out. He told me I had a block out at the street 100 feet away. the city is coming out with a tv crew today to find the block. last night stupid unprofessional home owner me found out the line went to a septic and not to the city sewer. Do your research and if you are handy you might do a better job then the so called "professional" Just my opinion. terry t
 

adb

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One bad apple does not ruin the whole orchard.

You had a bad experience. Was the guy that came to snake your sewer a plumber? Or a "drain cleaner"? There's a difference--one goes through several years of apprenticeship, the other goes through a few minutes of training. One is a professional, the other is not. If it was a plumber, perhaps he made a mistake. He's human.

The only time I see people suggesting hiring a professional on this board is when it is (a) required by law or code, such as tapping a city sewer line in this thread, or (b) necessary to prevent someone from harming himself. The latter results from a poster's apparent inexperience, or the inherent difficulty of a job.

Since you're on a septic system, why don't you call your local sewer authority and tell them you'd like to connect your household waste line to their piping yourself, and see what they say.

Certain tasks may seem innocuous, but without the proper experience to know whether something is right or wrong, you could cause harm to yourself, your neighbors, or both.

Finally, from Webster's:

profession (n)
4 a: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b: a principal calling, vocation, or employment c: the whole body of persons engaged in a calling

Finally, a disclaimer: I am not a professional (I am a professional, just not of the plumbing persuasion ;)). I am not a plumber advocating that people call other plumbers just to gin up business, nor are the many licensed professionals that come here to share their knowledge. Anytime someone on here suggests calling somebody in, it is with good reason. Sorry you had a bad experience with your local fellow.
 

Percussiongod

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image.jpg Seems like there is a lot of knowledge on this thread. How could I go about removing this piece of cast iron while retaining the wye joint?
 
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plumber66

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use a grinder and a wafer style cut off wheel to cut the cast. understand that the cast is going to be heavier than it looks. use dwv-drain waste and vent pvc to replace make sure you hang the pipe every 4' and use the proper size fernco couplings to tie the cast and pvc together. there is nothing worse than hearing a cast line crush under the load of a pair of soil pipe snappers. If the pipe was good it probably would not be leaking and then i would say rent a pair of snappers. read the lettering on the pipe you are buying somewhere it is going to say dwv or sch 40 go or even cell core you can use any one but the pipe will be white in color.
 

plumber66

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looks like copper has been leaded into the cast. if this is copper you can simply cut the copper a few inches away from the lead joint and purchase a fernco type cap that is for the size of copper. make sure the cap is for copper not cast or pvc there is a difference in o.d. size therefor the seal
 
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