I appreciate what you taught me in this video about cutting cast iron pipe. I bought a Diamond Grit 8-in Grit-TPI Wood/Metal Cutting Reciprocating Saw Blade. I needed to make three cuts in a 14 ft long section of 100-year-old cast iron pipe. I made the first cut, and when I was close to the bottom it just snapped and broke in two. What I discovered was that by taking a sledgehammer to the pipe after cutting it a few inches deep, the pipe just shattered. Done. Much easier and continuing to cut with the blade.
Constructive feedback. For the clean out, don’t bushing down to 2” or 1 1/2. Use a small hub-hub piece of the same size pipe, with a female adapter with plug. Allowing bigger size cables to be ran through the line. This restricts plumbers to smaller machines that may not have the power to cut through hard clogs. Second is ferncos are illegal to use unless underground. They provide flexibility to joints, so a sewer line won’t break while the ground settles. Mission bands (fernco with metal sleeve) are used inside homes. Makes the joint more structured, and doesn’t allow it to sag/move. Other than that it looks decent coming from a plumber. Minus the amount of fittings lol. Practice always helps.
Thanks for the feedback! Believe it or not, that clean out was originally a 1.5” vent. I thought I needed to tie a vent in there but the inspector told me to remove it. I was left with the 1.5” stub that I converted to clean out. You live and learn. As for the Fernco, that was just an ignorance error on my part. But oddly enough, the inspector didn’t mention anything about it. Lastly, since you are a plumber, do you have a ballpark number that you would charge for a job this size? Thanks again!
I’d love to know a ballpark estimate too (high and low because I live in a ‘high’ area...) and want to know whether it’s worth it to attempt myself. 😁. (We got a permit so an inspector will check my work. 😬)
@@sheilaa1333 I received a rough in plumbing estimate for $3500 for all rough in plumbing. So after purchasing materials, you could save around 2.5-3k. But plumbers do have a lot of code knowledge etc. So it’s hard to put a price on experience. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this video. We have a very old but still sturdy cast iron main line. The problem is the house is also old and when they did the back addition with the bathrooms they left absolutely no way to add any new fixtures (like a shower) without having to get behind the main line, up over the back wall of the foundation, and into a tiny crawl space. It's basically impossible to do without completely ripping out the floor, so we have to add the new fixtures where we can actually get to them. You have saved us easily $5k with this how-to.
My daughter and i did the main drain pipe some years ago replacing it with pvc. First time also by watching youtube. Now i see a pipe up in the celling that needs to be changed. For some reason I'm scared to tackle this one. I guess i would be the same. Pray for us. Thanks for your video very good.
@awesomerpower Thank you, sweetie. So far, we haven't tackled the other pipe as of yet. We have been working on other projects like the pantry. we guttered and did the sheet rock. it we had called a handling man who wanted to charge us 450.00 just putting up the sheet rock had nothing to do with the demolition or painting and shelfing. It came out beautiful. So next we have another project waiting to be started. A little at a time, but we're learning.
Plumber from Canada here......the double wye on a horizontal is a no no when your trying to put fall to one side.....your putting back fall on the other side would have to use two separate wyes for that!🍻
Over 30 years plumber here, also Canadian. A double wye on a horizontal is fine, you check the inlet for slope and make the branch level ( it is level on both sides ) if the inlet side gas grade then so do tge branches, 1/8 " / foot on 4" is easily achieved on a branch.
Hey man, constructive criticism from a plumber, next time you do something like this, read the code book on orientation of fittings and dry/wet/individual venting or just hire somebody that knows what there doing.
1:45 I would also add that you want to flush your toilet at least 5 times if not 10, to assure you that last nights dinner will not be staring you in the face once the pipe is cut. Huge oversight there. Secondly, with that much space around the pipe, an angle grinder with cutoff wheel would cut the pipe in 1/4 the time as any sawzall.
why did you use the fernco? as opposed to a band that is rated for that transition from cast to pvc, or at least something more durable that wont give easily. plumbing looks clean though!
It’ll work just fine. I would have picked up the lav farthest upstream and I would have omitted the dry vent for the tub. If you piped it this way, the tub and toilet would be wet vented off of the lav. I would have gotten rid of the shower vent because code does not allow you to travel horizontally with your vent until you are a minimum of 6 inches above the flood rim of the fixture that you’re serving.
@@Dudjrkfjjffjkffu thats true, my primary issue here is that hes made an "instructional video " while not knowing any code. How does a guy teach if they do not know ?
I had to do this a few years ago when my ancient iron drain busted. I used an angle grinder with a cut off wheel to get the old pipe cut out, I was left with a small section where I couldn't fit the grinder, and I finished off that small cut with a hacksaw.
Good video. Curious to know, doesn’t the shower and the faucet each require their own individual vent line? It looks like you tied the shower and faucet drain into the primary toilet drain but are relying solely on the primary toilet vent. Is this correct? I ask because I’m tip toeing into a very similar project myself. Thanks man!
Hi! Believe it or not, I learned everything from RU-vid lol. I bought this house a couple years ago knowing nothing about home improvement. Thanks for watching!
The shower/tub has a built in vent with it. As for the toilet the way I normally do it is use a 3inch combo fitting and out of the back side go up with a 90 so I can shoot a 2in vent in the wall and out the roof. As for a sink you can stub directly up and using a a san tee add an studor vent and p trap.
Depends on your state. Kentucky requires individual vents that tie in everywhere. Some states go off international code. Some go off national code. Some go off of a state code. It's better to individual vent everything, if you ask me, but other plumbers will differ in opinion.
@@AndrewThronImprovementsI believe it, that's why the installation has code violations. To the o.p, Individual vents are not required but are ideal but they must be taken off tge top of the trap arm in a vertical configuration ( a wye and a 45. ) they must be wye and 45 becauee they are below flood rim and so just not be T fittings. If you have a 3" branch serving the toilet its common to take a 2" why off to the lavatory ( this is a wet vent) and pick up the tub The 2" is the wet vent for the w.c and the shower then . This video shows improper plumbing
which videos did you watch to learn how to do this? also how did u go about getting an inspector? did u have to call them and tell them and then they showed up after?
@gregwhitten Thanks for the comment! I got a quote from a plumber for the full bathroom rough in (converting from a half bath to a full bath) for $3,525. I would estimate that for all of the work shown in THIS video, the cost would be around $2,500. However, I would love to get pricing feedback from viewers who are licensed plumbers. Comments welcome!
@@AndrewThronImprovements Yikes! prices probably vary depending on location and whether you hire a self-employed plumber with lower overhead. I hired a small company (3 guys) last year to replace all the old galvanized supply and drain lines in a literal crawlspace for kitchen and 1 bath. Adapted to cast iron main stack. 2 days work, licensed and inspected $3500 in Piedmont NC. Doesn't hurt to get 3 estimates :)
@@curiouscat3384 that’s not a bad price at all! The company I had take a look was definitely on the larger side. I guess that was my first mistake. And you are right! After the first quote I just shook my head and resolved to do the work myself. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for watching! Honestly, If I could do the plumbing again, I would have made a lot of changes (your suggestion likely being one). It passed inspection, but a lot of what I did was inefficient.
@@AndrewThronImprovementsdid you ever do a folllw up vid explaining this? Might be helpful and I’d bet it would get a ton of clicks. Either way, thanks for your work, it’s a good helpful vid and your responses to commenters is pure class. It’s so great when these discussions can be had, it contributes to everyone’s knowledge.
I thought about....but I figured I would “get my feet” wet with a smaller section before committing to the whole thing. In hindsight, definitely should have just knocked it all out. You live and learn. Thanks for watching!
In all honesty, this is a better question for a professional plumber. But I would for sure try to patch it with some putty (JB Weld steel stick maybe 🤔) before I would try cutting. Might need to make the more permanent switch to PVC in the future though. Thanks for watching!
The pipes I will be working on should be dry inside.. Have not been used for years. Can you cut in smaller sections to make it a one-person job taking the old pipes out?
You could pre-suspend a larger section with a couple ratchet straps and ease it down, I suppose. I have noodle arms so I always have to think up solutions like this.
When i do some plumbing at home with PVC, I always take care to wipe the primer very well so it doesn't show. I really hate the looks of dripping primer! Your saw blade must have been really good. I wasn't able to cut cast iron with mine, it wouldn't touch it. I had to use an angle grinder!
I completely agree with you! That was only my second time soldering and, in hind-sight, I should have just used CPVC. That was a lot of overhead pipe to be soldering. Thanks for Watching!
PVC Schedule 40 is the most common residential sewer pipe. ABS has been banned in many areas for use due to the connections becoming loose and defective pipe made from recycled materials.
If you’re not going to change the whole Cast Iron pipe ( even Underground) it’s pointless to change out a 5’ section.... Anybody that’s been in the plumbing field for a cool minute will tell you Cast and Galvanized pipes suck for waste. I’m curious as to how many leaks you had, I’d never use that small Dobber on 3” pipe.
Zero leaks so far 🤞. And I agree that is would have been better to change out all the cast iron for PVC. I only replaced the 5 foot section so I could add new connections for a half bath to full bath conversion. First time doing something like this, so definitely some lessons learned for next time. Thanks for watching!
Appreciate the comment Ricky! What looks incorrect? I had a plumber inspect the finished product and I actually had the whole thing permitted in my City and got approval. Appreciate your input!
Sanitary tee can never be used in the horizontal position, moreso if it's being wet-vented. It also is basically a crown vent now because of that same horizontal positioning. The double-wye looks back-pitched on one side (toilet side, but my eyes could be deceiving me.) The proper way to install a double wye is to level it first and then glue your fittings - you pre-fabbed your fittings and the back-pitch is a common result. You mentioned inspections, I'm surprised you passed because this would not be considered compliant with either the international plumbing code or the uniform plumbing code. Are you in a state that leaves code enforcement up to local officials?
@@RickysPlums In discussions with my plumber (I’m just a DIY guy), the long sweep 90 makes it acceptable. The pipe out the back is just a clean out. Pitch was confirmed to be ok, so that might be the camera angles. I’ll definitely glue the double Wye in place next time. That’s a good point and I’ve definitely run into issues before by pre-fab gluing fittings. Nope, we use IPC. Definitely still learning the nuisances of plumbing, but this was my first attempt at a project like this. Not saying it’s perfect, just my process for doing it. Appreciate your feedback!
@@AndrewThronImprovements Plus you used the wrong Fernco fitting. That one is designed for below grade applications. You need the metal wrapped one. Also you needed a fitting for the PVC to Fernco connection. I would have used a cast iron pipe chain cutter to cut the pipe. If you want to get sewage everywhere Milwaukee makes a cast iron Sawzall blade.
@@aroundthehouseEricG Thanks for the feedback, Eric! From my product research, the Fernco I used is “rated for underground applications” Which is likely a much harsher environment than indoors. But having the extra sheathing protection is never a bad idea if you want to spend the extra money. I am not familiar with the PVC/Fernco connection fitting - so please provide information (if you would be so kind) so that others DIY’ers can know their options. Lastly, I agree that chain cutters are the “right” way to do it. But I chose to save some money and go the rough and dirty route with tools I already had. Please keep up the constructive feedback. I will try and publish all the tips/comments so that others can be aware of what I did right and what I should have done differently. Thanks!
Appreciate you sharing your opinion! However, it was hard to make out what you are trying to say in your comment. Without knowing the full arrangement or knowing the specifics of the project, I do not know if are in a position to call the work “right” or “wrong”. But I appreciate you watching and I agree that the work does look like DIY job and is not exactly the most ‘professional’ looking in terms of appearance.
You’re lucky if you have cast iron exposed like that in the basement. In many states with slab houses the cast iron was buried under the concrete slab.
There is literally nothing youve done here that is to code, it will syphen, tdaps will not hold gas back, it will girgle and clog. Hire a plumber duee, youre not one
Plumber here- painful to watch. Ss banded couplings only, double y on the flat, wrong fittings below the flood rim and many more.. Please viewers, this is not the way to repipe this. No way that passes any inspection. More RU-vid plumbing- not a complement, sorry.
If you want to provide more insight on what exactly you see that should result in a failed inspection, it might actually help someone else out! Thanks for watching
@@AndrewThronImprovements Your toilet in not vented... That should be a 90 and not a combo fitting on your toilet... The bath tub is vented with a tee on its back which is a code violation...
@@AndrewThronImprovements Some inspectors are not licensed plumbers in many jurisdictions I have found. Will all this plumbing indeed "work"? For the most part. Buy is it code UPC code correct? No it is not.
@Jeff Legg Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment! This was my biggest plumbing project to date, so it was a bit of a learning process. For the toilet, I originally had it vented where you see the stub with a cleanout cap in the video. The inspector actually told me to REMOVE the toilet vent and just cap it - like you see. This did not make a whole lot of sense to me, but I just did what he said so that it would pass. The bath tub plumbing was existing, I did not change anything with that. So it is very possible that there are issues. Thanks!
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