Bathroom remodel - lead sink drain

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So of course nothing goes as planned....the wall of the bathroom comes down after a long fight and the sink drain is lead pipe, leaded to a CI tee within the main stack(lead line going to the left in the pic, near bottom of stack)....original plan is to remove leaded pipe and use dougnut for 2"CIx1.5"PVC....

I started to attempt to melt out the lead and apparently i cant get it hot enough beacuse even after about 5 minutes of direct pointy blue flame, it doesnt even soften....

so...i got to thinking more while i was holding the torch waiting for something to happen....i looked in the basement and sure enough, the main stack from the floor is PVC, and maybe 10" from the basement ceiling is a no-hub connection to CI....the CI continues the rest of the way through the first floor (seen in the pic) and to the roof.

Would it be better to remove the CI section from the no-hub in the basement to right after the sink drain T and replace with PVC, or work with what i have?

How do i go about removing the CI, is it supported by anything or will it want to fall down while im removing CI and adding PVC? What fitting should i use to attach the PVC back to the CI, another no-hub, or is there something better?

Thanks for all of your help!

Doug

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Cass

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Any time you can remove CI it is good in my opinion. Yes go from the no hub connection in the basement as high as you can. I don't know what type of no hub was used but you need what is called a banded coupling. It has 2 hose type clamps on both ends with a solid stainless steel band that gos all the way around the coupling end to end and under the clamps. You will need to support the pipe well above the point that you cut so it won't fall on you or into your house. You cut the pipe with what is referred to as snap cutters. They can be rented.
 

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Are the sections of CI shown in the picture just held together by gravity, or will i have to wrestle with those?
 

Cass

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It will come off in 1 chunk / piece. You can cut in smaller pieces if you don't want to wrestle a large piece.
 

Jadnashua

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At each of those flares or hubs, the piece from above fits into the hub, and a lead/oakum joint is made. Oiled hemp is pounded around the pipe, then the top area is sealed. Cut it where it is easy above the hubs so you have just the pipe diameter. You'll need to go above it to the next floor to check to see if the stuff above it is supported. This is usually a clamp that fits around the pipe and sets on some supports to prevent the pipe from falling. If there isn't one there, you'll need to put one in BEFORE you cut the pipe.
 

Mikey

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If you cut and disassemble from the top down, it'll be easier. It's a lot like cutting down a tree. Keep in mind, though, that the cast iron crowd claims it's a LOT quieter than PVC, so if you don't want to hear the upstairs waste going downstairs, you may want to leave the main soil pipe in place. This particular stack is just a vent, though, right?
 

Plumber1

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Why don't you use a drill bit to remove the lead joint and pick out the lead in pieces?

I think I'd like to leave all the rest as is.
 

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I was sorta thinking the same thing...since im more focused on rebuilding the bath at the moment than just the stack, and the stack seems to be ok, i think id rather just drill out the lead pipe....although in a sick sort of way it seems like a good challenge and sorta fun to replace the whole thing with PVC:rolleyes: ...if only i had a working bathroom while i was doing this project...

I tried a drill and just whatever basic drill bits i had around last night....hrm...special drill bits or something? It barely dented the filling around the lead pipe...I seemed to have more luck with the chisel, so i guess ill just take more time and do it that way unless anyone has some suggestions....

Thanks again for everyones help...

Doug
 

Jadnashua

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The lead pipe could be on a brass sleeve...there may not be any lead around it - you could be drilling into the cast iron itself. Pretty much any lead is very soft...and should be drilled easily.
 

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...it seems i was too apprehensive about burning down my house....i got annoyed and sat the torch on it for about 15min and the lead started to drip out...

...now my house smells like burnt oakum...:rolleyes: sure enough, there was a brass sleeve in there that was causing all the problems...

so what is the best way to attatch 1.5 pvc (if thats an ok size for a sink drain) to the 2" CI hub? I bought a doughnut from the big box but it seems sorta cheesy... dunno if theres an actual professional solution out there for mating the two...

Thanks again everyone.:)

Doug
 

Cass

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As long as the donut is tight in the hub all will be well. Don't push the 1.5" PVC in so far that it is protruding into the stack.

Be sure to clean the hub of all rust, lead, okum, ect. I use a 3/4" fitting brush until I see some bright iron.

Support the PVC somewhere along the way.
 
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