Slab home, replacing cast iron sewer line with PVC?
Question:We have a slab home and one of our sinks drain is completely stopped up. The plumber tried to snake it out and failed. He said he found mud when he pulled the snake back out, and thinks that the iron pipe probably rotted through. However none of the other drains in the house seem to have any problems. He will return with a camera to check it out for certain on Monday (no additional charge)
*IF* the pipe is rotted out, he suggests tunneling under the slab to replace the damaged pipe - and considering the age of the house (1962), he suggests replacing all of the iron pipe with PVC all the way to the sewer main. Furthermore he suggests running the new line around the house rather than under it in order to minimize a chance of foundation problems due to excessive tunneling.
What do you think of his proposed solution, and how much should such a repair cost?
Answers:
Its expensive , but if the pipe has collapsed you will have to do some thing. more trouble is on the way. I would go around house too, but not because of excess tunneling; that's a bit anal!
Its cheaper in the long run to do. If you know and trust this guy ; fine. If you don;t , get another opinion!
I run into rotted kitchen sink drains all the time, but just the kithen drain due to the corrosive effects of dishwashing liquids and powders. Normally the rest of CI lines are ok. Running them around the house is the best bet if sewer is deep enough where he is going to tie into it at. Figure 1" every 4 ft. for proper pitch of pipe + depth @ starting point. The only other solution is breaking concrete inside home and replacing existing drain. As for $, it differs in all parts of country
I cant give you the best answers, but I can try to be of some help. I worked in lawn irrigation for my friend and learned a little bit from him. PVC is good for pressurized water lines, it is strong and durable, its not considered cheap material. For a drainage or sewer line, you have even less to worry about since they are not a pressurized line.
As far as where to run the line, I dont have any expertise so I cant tell you, but while I think he sounds like a good guy, experts in consumer protection always say to get a second opinion especially if you are in doubt. Its good for your well being since you wont have to be in doubt whether a part of your house is constructed well or not.
I can offer you some good places to research online. This is where I do shine, finding answers or where to look for them.
http://www.ehow.com/
http://www.repair-home.com/
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/
Also, if he is running PVC outside the house, make sure its under 6" from the surface of the ground. Freezing tempuratures will crack any pipe with water, and you wont want a cracked sewer line in your yard. Again I am no expert, but a cracked sewer line may be left undiscovered for years but still cause damage or contamination to your yard.
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