Old Fashioned Plumbing 

That was my job starting out in the plumbing business in 1974 I drove the okam and heated the lead in a pot breathing it the whole time. I’m still plumbing at 66 and still love it

My father’s uncles were plumbers after returning from WW I. We had a box of tools in the basement that I never knew what were used for. Now I know they were for packing oakum, lead ingots, etc. Thanks for an informative video and an insight to family history. Only comment - first….I’d have put on gloves. 👍👍

Amazing job! I never would’ve thought of pouring lead on to PVC. But then again I’m not a plumber!

old school, in the 80's. that's when I learned plumbing 👉😎👍. good job

Nice job!! I haven't poured a lead joint since the late 80's. When I run into this situation in old buildings, I use the "plastic" lead and being I don't have any lead working tools, different size screwdrivers do a good job at packing the oakum into the joint....LOL But if I can, I would cut out he H&S fitting and adapt to PVC with a NO-Hub band like you did with the PVC. Again, very nice work. One suggestion from an old plumber.....KNEE PADS! Trust me, they are worth their weight in gold!

We did plumbing work before the day of plastic pipe. All drain pipe was cast iron. We heated our lead in a melting pot. One great lessons I learned quick was to not stand close to the lead if a spring shower pops up.

Reminds me of my apprenticeship days. I sure did learn alot doing cast iron work. Appreciate your detail to getting the job done right.

Very interesting, first time I've seen this done from start to finish. You explained it well. Nice job !!!!! Thank you. 😃👍

Great job, this video brings back so many memories. In the past I always used a ground down tire iron. I was too cheap to buy the proper tool since I did so few oakum jobs. I used to use a propane take mounted kettle for lead melting but that was a pain.

I've used Fernco hub adapters in the past (rubber donut) to connect the PVC pipe to the cast iron hub. I didn't think that you could pour hot lead around PVC, PVC gets soft and rubbery with a lot of heat. One of the plumbers that I used to work with in the past, used epoxy putty (Oatey sticks) to secure the PVC pipe to the cast iron hub.

Dude you saved my weekend I had a similar problem the guy at home store looked at me like I was from another planet when I was explaining my situation , it was an old pipe I know and obviously he never had come across this type of fitting so thank you sir for posting this great video 👍

Good craftsmanship from the younger plumbing generation . Keep up the good work !

That was a clean job ! Exelent

Having done plumbing for nearly 50 yrs in the uk. Also doing cast iron drainage within tbat time. We use what is called "yarn" to caulk the joint 1st like you used oakem! Then the lead is poured into the joint. Once the lead is in you then caulk that down into the joint , what that does is expand the lead into the groove in the cast iron socket, which also tightens the pipe, in this case plastic into the socket. You would normally "set" the lead by using a metal chisel where the lead meets the plastic. But seeing as your joint is plastic you can't do that ! 🙈 The plastic pipe being really smooth the oakem/ yarn doesn't really have anything to grip to so to speak . As if it was a piece of cast iron in place per sè it would be different. By caulking the lead down it expands not only in the groove but in the joint itself, making for a better tighter joint. In the uk when we caulked joints before they're leaded they had to withhold an air test & I was taught that if the joint was yarned properly you didn't really need the lead. That was a mark of a good plumber. Once the joints qas finish3d we'd paint bitomastic paint around the joint to stop the socket edges going rusty & also to make it look nicer. Back in the late 80's we did a construction job where we were using suspended lead caulkedb12" cast iron pipe & joints . They would take 2 huge ladles of lead per joint. As your soil pipes are mostly 3" to the toilets due to the use of syphonic pans where the contents are sucked out you can use smaller discharge pipework. In the uk its standard 110mm or 4 " Alot of younger plumbers have no idea how to caulk a joint in thr uk all they want to do is rop it out & use a flexy consatina joint made of plastic. Nothing as thick or as heavy duty as your pipe & fittings. Mostly ABS or uPVC . We did have alot of asbestos soil pipes installed in the 50 & 60's as it was a cheaper commodity back then. Now as we know it's a huge health issue when removing or repairing pipework.

Appreciate you taking the time to create the video Some of the best content is when video show how to connect dissimilar materials.

Very impressive, I doubt it if a single plumber in SoCal has lead and oakum in their service truck or van in 2024.

Cool man and nice and clean work!!

Love the Daddy Longlegs on the wall.A plumber works with nature😂

Very interesting and I learned a lot from this video thanks for this

You did a magnificent job

Great video, I replace the same thing and used a wire wheel on a high speed grinder to clean the inside of the cast and came out super clean. Ran the pipe down into the angle of the cast which made a tight fit and filled the gap with GE Silicon Caulking.....Zero leaks...

Seem very personable so, I will not critize ya. I am the last Generation in my family of plumbers starting with my Great Grandad and am 67 this year. Copper tyed into cast iron was and isnt unusal. In fact, my mother learned from Great Grandad too cut sheet lead, roll it into pipe's and hot lead the seams before cast iron bell and spigot pipe was heard of. Called; "wiping lead". When I cut my teeth in plumbing, early 1970's, we were pouring lead &okam joints and caulking irons, "inside &outside iron's" we used too pack the lead ring after it cooled, water tight. We did horizontal with a pouring rope made of asbestos and a clamp in the ditch. Had lead pot's, burners a laddle and lead ingots. In the late 70's this was gradually replaced with neopren "Ty-seal gaskets and snake snot grease and a lead mallet made on location too set and knock those joints into the bell past the neopren inner seal. Then Ridgid came out with the chain puller rig, heavy and cumbersom too pull the pipe into the bell past the inner second seal of the gasket, you had two seals. The in the early 80's just before " Plastics" abs, pvc, there was thee no hub cast iron bands. History of plumbing goes way back before roman times and thee aquq ducts. Copper, lead,, orange burg, clay tile, cast iron, duck tile,, worked with those and,,,, now ya got junk plastic's that look like a landscaper with garden hose installed the system. Me,,, I think the trades have lost the most important ingredient, "PRIDE IN THERE CRAFT" over production.

Greetings from 🇩🇿 Algiers, Good job,keep it up.

Still code in Chicago area. They sell a pvc soil pipe adapter specifically for this use. It’s at depot and Menards 2” and 4” Also we still have to pack the lead like you did oakum after it’s poured and cooled a bit.

Freakin awesome!!!!!! Me not knowing too much about the trade, I probably would have used a fernco donut.

4 inch furnco compression coupling look it up. never seen that way done looked good ty for taking time to expand our perspectives on plumbing

Sweet!

I always wondered how it was done.thanks for the info

I use Tyseals. That way, it looks like more fun. Looks good to me. Nice job.

Hey just subscribed Looking forward to your adventures.

nice job

In Illinois we have to use caulk adapters to go in the ci hub. I've poured a few hundred lead joints to pvc. I always use a piece of paper to test the heat of the lead, to make sure I don't melt the pvc, I've seen guys melt big bubble looking things inside the pvc.

Good job

Hey I had someone steal my packing tools which an old timer plumber gave to me years back. He was expert Plumber and taught me plenty.

Cool video, didn’t know you can do a lead and oakum joint with PVC.

Trolls suck! I’m no plumber. That joint is looking good. Nice job and well thought out.

I’m a retired Aussie plumber and watched your video with interest. Okam, we know it as Hemp here in Australia. Anyway I was surprised to see you using molten lead to seal the joint between PVC and Cast Iron. Personally I would have used a two part cast iron epoxy jointing compound. It dries as hard as rock, is water tight and will even cure under water. Messy to mix unless you keep your hands wet or it sticks like s..t to blanket 😂 Also there is no heat or naked flame required which makes the process a lot safer. Keep up the good work and videos 👍

I didn't know you could pour lead around PVC like that. I thought it would burn right through it. When I did this once I used lead wool, which I packed around and tamped with the iron you use to push the oakum in. The other time I used this epoxy like material. It came in a caulking gun and I remember is was specifically for this.

Being a plumber for 40 years thats quit the the job. I’m sure it will work fine :-). Very timely 😮. I’m glad someone was willing to pay you a plumbers wage to do this video. Very nice 👍.

The two other extra tools you had was for packing the lead. One was a inside tool that would fit next to the pipe and the outside tool fit next to the collar of the fitting. You would tighten the lead all around the pipe and collar of the fitting. In some cases the lead would pack deeper than anticipated and you would need to pour extra lead.

Strange they didn't use a Manoff fitting in the Cast Iron hub. They do make a manoff adapter for PVC pipe. They take the heat better from the hot lead. I remember in class for license they taught us that for every inch of cast Iron you use a pound of lead. 3 inch cast iron hub requires 3 pounds of lead. Nice job

Perfect!😎👍🏻🥃🥃🍺🍺🍺🇺🇲

I've never seen this kind of joint done before. They are all over my house, so it's great to see what would have to happen if I had a failure. Thanks, and well done!

Wow, PVC does not melt? Cool video. ;)

I read that maximum temp for pvc is 140 Fahrenheit. I also read that melting point for led is 640 farenheight. California plumber here who only cuts out cast iron and has never poured a lead and oakum joint

Great to see how things were once done. Thanks for sharing

Looks great. 👍🏽. Maybe PlasticSeal for PVC on Cast

@Dicofole It's Called Lead Wool!!!!

I know there is an Oaken impregnated with some kind of cement. You just add water and you push in the crevice around the PVC/ABS pipe. I prefer to use a Fernco Donut Adaptor.

I still have a set of the inner and outer caulking irons that are used after the lead is poured. I thought that the joint wasn't done until the lead was tamped with these tools. If you examine old poured joints you'll notice the strike marks in the lead against the hub and the pipe the tools leave.

I'm a homeowner, didn't know you could lead PVC into a hub. I found they have a putty for a hub joints, but it looked like a joke to me. So I stuck with what I know, which is car repair. I used automotive urethane - windshield glue - with oakum packed in first. Urethane is very resilient, tough, and waterproof, but it keeps a little flex. At the time, I didn't know oakum did the bulk of the sealing, so I cleaned the inside of the hubs to bare metal for a perfect bond. It's been 10 years, the joints haven't leaked or come loose, even the horizontal ones are fine. I'll probably try a lead joint next time.

This was required at the plumbing school back in early 2010. Never used oakum out in the field tho.

Thanks COOP the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA ...

So it did the same job last week I used to that up Manheim in no room up in the ceiling a quarter joint so I use it inside Franco for my 4 by 3

I use the compression gaskets. Also called doughnut gaskets, multi tight, ez tight, whatever you were taught.

Great video. Is there a reason why some kind of caulk couldn't be used in place of the hot lead? Does it have to do with longevity?

Awesome video! I'm a diy and my only question whats the cloth being packed around the pvc called? Thanks in advance

That was old world mastery... well done.

looks good to me, but I usually pack around the lead once it's cooled at least thats the way I was taught.

Spiders be like “hey I’m working here!”

Depending on the hub size i like install a 1/2 of a coupling or heat a pc of scrap n sleeve the outside of pipe on vertical pours for pc of mind when tapping lead. Or lead wool for hoz joint.

God bless you

In general I don't criticize other plumbers. And I don't really have a critic here but a suggestion. I've never poured hot lead in my 24 years of plumbing. I have, however, repaired a cast iron joint that was leaking. After getting the hub cleaned out my journeyman showed me how to pack the oakum in properly. Then instead of hot lead we used lead wool and packed it around solidly. I'm not saying this was the correct way to do it, but it's how we did it and it seemed to work. And the pipe was very solid in that hub. So maybe throw some lead wool in with your oakum and try it...but wear gloves!

Have you tried using "Service Weight Cast Iron Hub to PVC compression coupling"?

I’m not a plumber, but in 1974 I had to make a similar joint except not vertically but horizontally. I replaced a 40’ 1 1/2” galvanized pipe to a cast iron hub with a 2” abs pipe. I don’t remember using oakum,but I used a compound out of a can that was like cement mortar, it leaked a little and I dripped 5 minute clear epoxy from the12 o’clock position and it sealed itself. After about 3 months it was clogged, I cleaned it with a garden hose and noticed the pitch was wrong. I repitched the pipe tying it down every 2 ‘ and it worked for the next 15 years till I sold the home. PS: I was kind of surprised that you were using lead and the rubber connector in this video, hasn’t the industry come up with anything new for this type of joint? I only use Fernco connectors on sump pump lines or vents.

Outstanding! Well done! I never thought you could caulk PVC with lead. I have one question. Do you go back after the joint cool an use a caulking chisel to compress and expand the lead in the joint ?

Non plumber here.... my main is cast iron. My kitchen sink is pvc and the plumber that did it screwed a 1&1/2 pvc adapter into the cast iron. If there’s no sleeve or rubber/silicone thing does that mean I have a future failure? What should be used to connect a 1&1/2 pvc to 6in sewer main?

question, as a dyi homeowner. would it be possible to remove the old lead and oakum and replace it with new stuff without cutting and removing the pipe going into the cast iron. in my case its either copper or brass into iron similar to how this video started but in much better solid condition. it appears to be leaking out of the existing oakum joint.

I find the repair crazy. The way to connect the pvc to the bell of the cast iron is a JIFFY gasket. The way you made the connection is what we call a jack leg plumber.

I have never seen this process being done. I have always wondered how these oakum and lead hubs were done. How do you do a horizontal hub?!

4x3 hub donut, with a little grease. Nice fix !

All sorts of creepy crawlys down there!

Interesting repair. Looks like it should last a long time. Could you also take a piece of hub less cast iron and do the same thing?

Nice work, thanks for sharing

Looks good except for the last step of packing the lead with those tamps you have. Back in the day we could tell which plumber tamped the lead by the pattern they left.

WHy did that hot molten lava not melt the pvc. Does it cool that quick or is pvc really that strong?

Little flex tape some silicone plumbers putty 🤣🤣🤣 Just to make sure😆

is the HUB the entire cast iron part that is visible, or are there separate 'HUBS' visible in this video, (at 15:53 for example) ?

get a hole saw but that’s bigger then the pipe going in and it drills out the oakum perfectly

Never knew that lead joint and PVC were compatible 😅

Pretty sure I grew a few more chest hairs watching this 😆

Is that entire thing the HUB ? Or is there another name for that hunk of cast iron which has 2 HUBS on it that I can see.

I think i get the idea. Let get to the lead part

Do you have a inside and outside calking irons ?

Amazing that people still are using lead and oakum in this day and age. I don't even have the tools to do it and only ever did it once in school like 12 years ago. Never even came on a job where I thought I'd need to use lead and oakum. Old ways die hard I suppose. Typically I'd use a donut compression gasket for this. Hammer it in the hub, shove the PVC in, job done. We've got all this great technology that makes the job easier than the old days, why not use it?

What's the name of the rubber connector? I have a similar problem, and I did try to search for this type of connector, but I couldn't find any. The cast iron pipes in my house are all split open on the top side. They do hold up, but it's not gonna last long. The problem is that the pipe for the septic tank is on a basement ladder that is half exposed, and the other half around 1m underground and it's a hell of a job to replace... For the moment, I've put a smaller pipe inside the iron one because I had to replace around 1m that totally collapsed. It works, but that's not the way to go. The plan is to remove all the iron ones, and expose some of the underground pipe and connect the new plastic one with this type of connector.

I was for sure pvc would melt to nothing since the melting point of lead is WAY higher than the melting point of PVC . The things you learn lol

How do these joints get done on horizontal connections?

i wonder if they still make plastic caulking farrows fittings? I gave op pouring lead joints to avoid lead poisoning from lead fumes and dust. would grind out the remains of that debris in the 4" hub, and use no caulk donut.

PVC with melted lead ? I never saw that before. Will not PVC melt with that temperature?

Just curious. My grandpa was a olde school Steamfitter Plumber and when he did anything with lead he wore a canister mask to prevent breathing fumes. Also dont they make a rubber o' ring that can slip between the rim and pvc ? I made a tool to pack the packing ...Looks like cylinder hones but welded on vise grips. Then you place around the pipe and tap top edges and all the packing goes down at once...Why couldn't you use a pvc coupling instead of rubber band? All in all a nice neat job ..i have old cast clean out fitting in the wall going through the wall to septic... Everything above is copper...House built in 67'

Can you tell us what a repair like this should cost, or what others should charge for fairly?

I've got a 75-year-old building with cast iron plumbing I've replaced much of it with ABS and it works great but I avoid at all costs in a crawl space harming the the lead joints. I've watched others use a rubber gasket that goes into the hub and the PVC just pushes into it and I'm sure it works fine and that's what I would do it takes 1 minute. If I had to do a joint as you were doing it I would put some Oakhum at the bottom and then load it with silicone which would definitely seal it off for a very long time. I suppose you're pouring of the lead against a PVC was successful due to the cast iron sucking the heat out of the lead before it melted through the PVC. It's interesting but I would be concerned that the excess of heat may have deteriorated the PVC to some extent or maybe even burned it. It would be interesting to see a section of that joint to see what happened to the PVC pipe.

Pack the lead- they have inside/outside irons for that

Couldn’t you have used a strong silicone type of sealant instead for creating a seal? Heating led and using it on pipes is hazardous and contaminates water. Is there other alternatives?

Godwin and Sons LLC Hope You Were Careful with That Spider Guys!!!!

Very cool to see this done. I do have a question though- would there ever be an application where you’d have to pour the lead on a horizontal joint and not a vertical one? How would that work? Thanks!

But what if it's on the side that works for straight up and down but I need to do the same but on the side

Nice video. Clean and tight work though I am a bit skeptical about the PVC CI joint since it was not caulked. Have you used PVC repair slip couplers instead of ferncos for pvc to pvc joints?

Is this an overhead sewer line by any chance