How to Fix Leaking Cast Iron Pipe

[@aletheajohnson6545]

Your video demonstration is straightforward and clear. The comments provided additional information for consideration. I am in a position where I HAVE to do the repair myself because no professional is available for weeks. You’ve saved me hours by demonstrating how to do this.

[@thehomefixer176]

I hope you can fix it, let me know how it comes out.

[@biliff1]

Probably saved you a lot of money for a plumber too!

[@aletheajohnson6545]

I just saw this thread. It came out great! Passed building inspector review and my plumber was impressed. Yes. It saved me a lot of money, too. Thanks, again.

[@mottle_]

Thank you for this. Not only did you show how it's done, you inspired me to do it myself and it worked like a charm.

[@thehomefixer176]

Awsome did you take any video of it?

[@mottle_]

unfortunately not, but i had to use your method of stretching the rubber ring because my plumbing is old. saved me a whole lot of stress and an unnecessary trip to the hardware store

[@thehomefixer176]

@@mottle_ glad my video helped you out! Its nice saving money on repairs we can do ourselves.

[@ritchiedickey9667]

Great video. Well narrated, good lighting, and you showed how YOU fixed it yourself.

[@burtburt1755]

Hello Home Fixer. I think you did a good job on a very difficult project. You made it work. I am working on a house built in 1953 for Air Force personnel to live in. Currently working on a toilet that has that 3 1/2 inch pipe. Can't find a 3 1/2 inch replacement flange. Lowes and Home Depot laugh at me thinking I don't know how to read a ruler. I did learn a lot from the video and from the comments. Thank you for posting.

[@thehomefixer176]

Use the smaller coupler and use the wood like I did to stretch it on there. It should work!

[@citrinwarren6073]

My pipe shows it ready to give up. This was frightening. Through your video I am ready to tackle the task with confidence. Thanks.

[@thehomefixer176]

What's your pipe showing signs of leaks? And heck yea Do it yourself, Save the money!

[@frankvigilante3423]

Not bad u got it done.I would have put that clean out on the vertical but it will work

[@PCB1153]

First of all, great job !! and THANK YOU for showing us how to do this repair. I just saw your video and am heading to Lowes to buy the tools, the PVC pipe, the rubber connectors, etc., to attempt something similar in my home.

[@thehomefixer176]

Its really not to hard at all, let me know if you need any help or advice.

[@juancastaneda9371]

Dude, you just saved me hours of searching online! Thank you!!

[@thehomefixer176]

No problem, did your cast iron pipe crack?

[@TEBCO123]

You did a beautiful job. a good idea stretching the rubber connection and clamping to the wall.

[@thehomefixer176]

Thank You, its holding up just fine, months later.

[@crangel381]

Be all you can be , the few the proud, the plumber 💯👑

[@thehomefixer176]

YEA!!!

[@Toto-is8ci]

Fantastic my friend. Thank you for this video. My problem is a little easier, but showing me that it can be done!

[@thehomefixer176]

Yeah do it yourself and save the money. You can do it! This was also my first time fixing a cast iron pipe. I had no experience myself. But I do watch plumber videos and do massive research before I dive in.

[@curiouscat3384]

Thank you for the encouragement. I'm a 70 yr old lady, am renovating my 1920's house and need to replace the old sewer vent. I've planned and prepared but wasn't sure if the Diablo blade would really do the job without a lot of muscle power. I'm more confident now and will get this project finished! Question though: wouldn't a heat gun on the rubber coupling be easier to stretch it?

[@thehomefixer176]

Heat gun may have worked. But the wood worked great for me.

[@nivaldo758]

Very good job. At the beginning a little bit scary but you did good.

[@hectorcardenas6616]

like a dream in paradise very clean and perfect

[@meefthepotatoe4363]

Dude I gotta do the same 🥴 your video was motivating n knowledgeable thanks for posting it 👍

[@thehomefixer176]

Your Welcome! Glad it helped you out. Let me know how it goes with your project.

[@radiantonion8615]

JB weld can fix holes as well but cast iron can still rust, but it could help if it's a relatively easy job or you don't want to do a ton of stuff to get the job done.

[@jacksplumbingvideos7147]

you have 4 inch going into 3 inch which can create clogs.

[@thehomefixer176]

Yes so I have been told. Im not worried about it as the bottle neck is less than 12 inches from the cleanout. This cast iron has been 4 inches to 3 inch for almost 100 years in this home. If I ever have to redo the cast iron that's left under the dirt I will put in 4 inch up to the Clay sewer pipe T.

[@NightFox358]

Hope this helps: if you ever need to manipulate those rubber bands let them sit hot water and it’ll help loosen it up

[@realfire6883]

I have the same problem from my upstairs bathroom. Ok when the shower runs but if you flush the toilet when the shower is going it leaks big time into my ceiling downstairs. crack must be on the side or top of the cast iron. Ripping the ceiling out tomorrow it can't handle excess water flow

[@meganpickles7981]

I have to cut out some cast iron pipe that is old an has a broken spot making a hole , it is crumbling on inside, I worry about pieces falling inside the pipe

[@thehomefixer176]

Good luck!

[@franksprecisionguesswork501]

I would have tried to finagle a tee into the wall where you put the back to back elbows. That way your clean out would be accessible from the outside and at a much higher level.

[@djbengi74]

Nice job you made it work for you nothing wrong with what you did I do this work every day . I don’t curl with the pipes I cry every time I have to move them getting old sucks

[@thehomefixer176]

Only problem is the cast pipe started leaking again higher in the wall, so I got to gut the walls now inside to get to it!

[@matthewsidener6905]

If you did this everyday you’d know you’re not supposed to go from 4” to 3”. You just created a bottleneck

[@thehomefixer176]

@@matthewsidener6905 Its ok the bottneck is only 12 inches from the clean out. So if it ever does clog it will be easy to service by me.

[@azmrblack]

I know many people have patched them with epoxy fiberglass-type patches, but it's better just to take it out and redo it anyways - homes that still have the cast iron that stuff has been in service for the last 50-100 years - and it's been rusting from the inside out all that time, so most cast iron DWV is probably at the end of it's life or past it. I found it strange that your horizontal runs are sitting on the basement floor, do they have the correct fall/pitch?

[@thehomefixer176]

Yes it pitches down into the dirt and under the concrete slab towards the main clay sewer pipe. Yea Clay sewer pipe which is probably older than the cast iron.

[@georgejetson4378]

It never ceases to amaze me how many of these YT experts never seem to wear safety gloves when demoing. I guess they all have Kevlar hands.

[@thehomefixer176]

Its even worse for hvac work on your hands.

[@meganpickles7981]

I need to find out the size of the pipe an I don’t know how to get it, do you know how to get the size

[@thehomefixer176]

Is it plastic or cast pipe?

[@BillAnon]

Do you have anything at the bottom of that vertical pipe run to hold it up? That cast iron pipe must be awfully heavy.

[@thehomefixer176]

It was held up by the toilet flange cast iron 90 which was secure. Had about 11 ft hanging down from the toilet 90, it was secure tho. That upper pipe later was leaking as well, so I had to redo more of the pipe higher up all the way to the toilet flange area 90 elbow. This was the video on it if your interested. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z36le3SAncuhias

[@modeman69]

Nice job , but u used what to stretch out rubber?….

[@thehomefixer176]

wood

[@plamypetrov5695]

Do you know how to fix a small hollow in a cast-iron kitchen sink?

[@thehomefixer176]

amzn.to/3w3J7tK Try this kit, many other reviews said it works for cast iron repairs on sinks

[@rogermccaslin5963]

Cast lifespan is 40-50 years. Beyond that is borrowed time. If I was doing all that work I'd replace everything I possibly could, vent stacks included. Also, you can soak a fernco in hot water and the rubber will become very pliable. You should also put shear bands on the fernco. They will keep the pipes aligned in the future. If not, the joints can become misaligned and cause clogs.

[@donschafer3428]

Soaking the fernco in hot water is a great idea, thanks for posting!

[@martinmahmoudi2744]

Couple days ?

[@bobbys2160]

isnt the 90 at the bottom suppose to be a long sweep 90 into the horizontal pipe

[@thehomefixer176]

Not sure depends on code in your area. My old cast pipe had short 90 on it. I think it's what I used, although yes I could of gone with a long 90, but the cleanout is less than a foot away from it so it really doesn't matter in my setup. If No clean out then use a long sweep 90 Id say!

[@thehomefixer176]

I rewatched my video, at 11:28 I did note I was using a long 90 at the bottom. So Im glad i did originally in the beginning of the video I was going to use a short 90.

[@abdal-haqq1688]

Tip: use banded rubber sleeves when connecting cast to PVC.

[@thehomefixer176]

Thats only for Rats to keep from chewing threw, we dont even have rats where Im at.

[@abdal-haqq1688]

@thehomefixer176 that to but what the banded sleeves also do is keep the pipes aligned because they are two different materials and the cast is heavier and has a tendency to sag at the connection.

[@thehomefixer176]

@@abdal-haqq1688 Makes sense, good thing for me I replaced the rest of the cast all the way up to the toilet flange after this was done, so all that weight is no longer an issue for me. Thanks for the info Im sure it will help others.

[@kiwiswat]

You cant use that fernco above ground. All rubber ones are below ground. You have to use banded coupling. Basically it is a full steel jacket

[@thehomefixer176]

Cant, yet I done did it without issues.

[@kiwiswat]

@THE HOME FIXER ability to do something does not make it right. There are many people who splice wires in the wall without a box. They can, but that's a fire risk. Rubber fernco is not approved for above ground. Shirlded coupling provides strength for the connection and prevents shifting and movement, which can cause a leak, especially with cast iron connections.

[@thehomefixer176]

@@kiwiswat Only reason they want the shield over them is for Vermens not to chew through it so it is such a small risk of that happening.

[@thehomefixer176]

And if your are afraid of that wrap the rubber fernco with some aluminum sheet metal, roofing flashing would work.

[@raybermudez3974]

Great video,good detail,thanks

[@danielhernandez-pf1gm]

Excellent job

[@thehomefixer176]

Thanks

[@abrahamvaro5482]

Super very nice video ,thanks!!!

[@Carl_Jr]

Good job, bro!

[@thehomefixer176]

Thanks, don't forget to subscribe.

[@Carl_Jr]

​@@thehomefixer176 Done! 👍

[@Bruford79]

Awesome video, thanks.

[@ElderAEShelton]

Won't the petroleum in the Vaseline degrade the rubber fittings?

[@thehomefixer176]

No sir, the rubber is derived from petroleum and natural gas (synthetic rubber). Because of its elasticity, resilience, and toughness, rubber is the basic constituent of the tires used in automotive vehicles, aircraft, and bicycles. So that said vaseline which is petroleum product it shouldnt hurt the rubber which is made of simular substance.

[@elmono3939]

That 4" Clean Out is for Vertical installation, not horizontal.. But not bad for homeowner... You saved yourself couple thousand dollars in repair costs.

[@williamhealey6862]

Great job

[@thehomefixer176]

Thank you

[@juanespinosa3229]

One other thing you could have done to test your PVC pipe is to get a test balloon and fill your pipe up. To make sure there is no leaks You put the test balloon in your test tea

[@ralph95]

Is this project inspected by local building inspectors ?

[@thehomefixer176]

I had the whole house inspected.

[@axelsanchez5106]

How much will a job like this one cost?

[@thehomefixer176]

From a pro, who knows in the thousands Im sure.

[@brandoneckert5096]

you put the rubber flex fitting on wrong the wider end goes on the cast iron, cast iron has a larger outer diameter than PVC...you want to clean up the cast iron to prevent leaks as well.

[@thehomefixer176]

It was Right! Not sure what your talking about.

[@FreeAmerican-mm2my]

8:45?

[@thehomefixer176]

@@FreeAmerican-mm2my Typically yes dont use an adapter going down on a verticle, but in my case the pvc pipe sits a bit higher then the cast so it flows with out much trouble getting caught up due to the angle of it fitting in the boot.

[@bugsdoeproductions4265]

Great Video!

[@Noel207]

Diablo blades are the best to cut cast iron pipes, husky couplings are the best , yup I do no hub piping 4 inch, 2 inch , 1 1/2

[@augustwest9727]

Maybe should have put the cleanout on the vertical...

[@thehomefixer176]

Well I never had to use it as of yet, so all is good.

[@tedallen9078]

this is why you hire a plumber. this guy increases a 3" drain at the ceiling penetration to 4" pipe to a cleanout and then reduces back to a 3" drain to the city sewer. he should have taken an angle grinder to remove the rust and corrosion to bring the pipe back to 3". he's obviously satisfied having created a problem for himself down the road

[@thehomefixer176]

Sure, Its been years now and No problems, no back ups or clogs and Im a family of 5! The only problem I had was the rest of the cast failed more higher up the wall so I replaced that as well up to the toilet flange with 4 inch, but that's another video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z36le3SAncuhias No problems with the 4" to 3" Fernco because of the angle its installed on a slant. If your so worried about fitment then just use a 3 inch pipe I could have but I didnt and yet no problems at all. And lets say your right and I should of used 3 inch pipe not a big deal to redo it if I ever had to anyway, that pipe is fairly cheap. A 1/2 difference is not much at all. If it was 6 to 3 then I could see a problem but not 4 to 3 1/2 pipe on on small run, and again the cleanout is right where the potential problem could be which is easy access.

[@tedallen9078]

@@thehomefixer176 it was hard to watch your struggle. best of luck

[@HongNguyen-rz2uv]

Great

[@wendamaltessee]

You needed a 4in CI x 4in PVC Ferco coupling.....!!!

[@thehomefixer176]

I bought a 4 inch cast iron way too big.

[@babooll5632]

Pull the toilet and replace from the flange down

[@mandib8772]

How come they don't make cast iron pipes no more?

[@thehomefixer176]

They do, but they are a pain in the butt to get the joints together with lead.

[@thehomefixer176]

They start to rust out after 50-100 years as well

[@franksprecisionguesswork501]

You can find cast iron pipe if you look hard enough and bring lots of $$$$. I heard some municipalities require it’s use in commercial settings. Cost is about 4 x ABS

[@chrismallory3718]

That's 3" cast iron, they make a 3" cast to plastic mission band that's thick on one side and thin on the other. You'll eventually have problems because you've now created a lip . When you have to redo it run 3" with the proper transition bands

[@thehomefixer176]

You mean its better to stick with the 3 inch PVC pipe and not use 4 inch? That way I use just a 3 inch to 3 inch band.

[@thehomefixer176]

I Also Already have to redo it, as it started leaking up higher then where it was in the video. Now I have to cut up my walls above.

[@chrismallory3718]

@@thehomefixer176 yes you never want to go from larger diameter pipe to smaller, it should be smaller to larger. That is 3" cast iron and its rusty so I'd hit it with a wire brush and use the proper band. There 2 different thicknesses of cast so make sure you grab the right band. I'd also get as much as possible out before it exits the home

[@chrismallory3718]

@@thehomefixer176 your best bet is to open the wall behind the toilet and tie onto there with the proper band and install a new Santee and toilet flange, 90% of the time the vent is ok

[@thehomefixer176]

@@chrismallory3718 My vent was bad, I had to cut half of it off.

[@blackpine6693]

Always check your pipes out first ….before hand…..

[@markb1626]

The clean out should have been on the vertical pipe about 2’ feet up because if the pipe was backup and full, when you opened the clean out you would have a mess. 😂

[@thehomefixer176]

Well thank God, I never had a backup.

[@Longeno55]

That spray foam aught to fix it! LOL!

[@thehomefixer176]

Yea for about a day

[@-ultravic661]

By stretchibg the couplings and installing them over smaller pipe, they are now under constant stress. Rubber dries-out over time. The vasoline is a petroleum product and it might weaken the rubber. Those rubber couplings might burst-open some day. If this does happen, at least they are easily accessible and fixable. This is just my guess. I'm not a plumber, but I am a genius. So there.

[@gabrielmccollum2604]

Did you go to a plumbing store? Or did you go to home depot type store? Plumbing store I go to would have it. Please don't tell me you're going from 4 to 3. It's okay to go to 3 to four, but never go 4 to 3.

[@thehomefixer176]

I tried the local plumbing store the pros use, they didnt have the right fit. Its more like 4 to 3 1/2. oddly

[@taro546]

A $3.00 shower caulking would cover that hole.

[@thehomefixer176]

What a bandaid that would be, this pipe was cracked in more than one place

[@lewistodd4458]

Should have used 3” pvc

[@thehomefixer176]

Why is that?

[@kingokafor6215]

I know it took forever to cut that shyt

[@thehomefixer176]

With the cast iron blade only takes a few minutes.

[@ShadyPlumber]

If you've never seen a plumber stick two pieces of wood in a fitting to make it bigger, you probably shouldn't do it either. The video should be titled "How I" not "How to".

[@thehomefixer176]

Man what ever, it worked for me and would work for anyone else who had 2 cents. Its thick rubber and stretching it a little won't hurt it as long as its not ripped. It saved me thousands from not hiring a clown plumber like you.

[@ShadyPlumber]

@@thehomefixer176 Mr. Sensitive. But, for people who want to know how to actually fix it, watch someone else. There are fittings that transition from cast iron to PVC. They are made of PVC and allow the use of a no hub coupling to connect the cast iron to the PVC without the use of wood to stretch out anything (why wood isn't sold at the plumbing supply house). The person making the video needs to learn how to take criticism, especially when he's making a how to video. I've been plumbing for longer than he's been alive and could be his father. Have a good one bud.

[@thehomefixer176]

@@ShadyPlumber Yea well funny you say you're a plumber for years, you know what the local plumbers told me to do, they told me to use electrical tape over the cast to make it bigger to fit the 4" inch fernco. Someone with years of experience didn't know this trick, would you rather I used a fernco to big and wrap electrical tape around and around the cast pipe so it would fit. And I did buy the special pipe to fit on cast, it still was too tight for what ever reason, maybe the house was built with pipe that normally was not used in homes plumbing. The house was built in the 1800s. All I know is I bought every fernco they had and they were either too big or too tight. This was the simple fix with no harm done to nobody. And I stand behind my fix and would recommend this to anyone with the same problem. Maybe they can also try heating up the fittings in HOT water and a lot of Lube. But the wood was just easier for me. Just because someone does something out of the ordinary don't make it wrong. Engineer's make up new things every day!

[@andrewn.518]

Stretching the fernco is not the way. Go get a cast iron to plastic no hub band

[@thehomefixer176]

I say "This is the Way!" It worked for me:)

[@TH3huntz354]

There is no 3.5 cast iron bro, that’s just a bad pour , a grinders would’ve worked wonders

[@thehomefixer176]

True not anymore, but my house was built in 1860s so it was then used.

[@TPainWhatitDo]

I keep seeing people use spray foam in inappropriate places and it distresses me. Spray foam is not for fixing plumbing and it is not for repairing your foundation. It will not hold your house up

[@thehomefixer176]

True

[@That_Guy-]

I agree, CT1 is the way lmao

[@libertyman3729]

Plumbing and Electricity is NOT a hobby . 🇺🇸

[@bobbyv7433]

Bro should not be installing pipe when he can’t tell a 45 ell from a 90 ell

[@thehomefixer176]

I know the difference now, I learned all this in a weekend. Im not a pro but I learn fast enough to do many jobs most say you need to be an expert at doing. Good day. Bro!

[@hafidhafid7902]

His perfect 👍

[@biliff1]

Get off your high horse. He did a great job!

[@AnthonyPatrick-kq8xt]

I love home owners that do their own work. However 95% do it wrong. The other 5% have a family member or friend that is skilled to help. You needed a skilled helper. For the people who believe this job was done correctly, hire a professional! There are four problems with this job. Expertise is not cheap and doing a job over is not cheap either. You have to pay for it twice. I’m sorry that I have to break the news, but this job needs to be completely redone. By the way, the metal flakes that came out while you were cutting the pipe tells me you need to hire a plumber to repipe your cast iron all the way to the roof. Including the plumbing that goes to that new shower. Always redo cast and galvanized before remodeling a bathroom. It will save you a lot of money, otherwise you’ll have to tear out all your new work to replace or repair your plumbing. I’ll look for the video for when you redo this project with a professional. I hope you take this of what it is, constructive criticism. Especially when you are making videos for others.

[@thehomefixer176]

Good eye on the metal flakes. The pipe did turn out to be bad higher up after a few months, it was cracked really bad about 10 feet up. I did open the wall up and do it myself again but it didn't cost me much, maybe $100 for a pipe and ferncos. I replaced most of the pipe up to the toilet flange which was the only thing still good. All in all I disagree that I needed a plumber as if you don't get it the first time you can always go back and redo it which I did. Here's the second video on it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z36le3SAncuhias Thanks for the comment, even tho I disagree, A skilled helper is always great if you have one, I had to rely on youtube plumbing pros, which I watched for weeks before I learned to do this work myself.

[@longfootbuddy]

well sht, replacing a pipe isnt fixing a pipe

[@donsab-xz4so]

"street" means it is MALE on one end

[@elsuper856]

And that house looks like it's 1000 years old sorry

[@thehomefixer176]

I wish

[@williamkeeler3342]

You did a good job.

[@thehomefixer176]

Thanks

[@anyhonyardito3510]

It's a 22 and a 1/2 cast fitting

[@spitfire2885]

Weld that hole

[@thehomefixer176]

Not sure if that would be worth it, once it starts having holes the pipe is pretty much rusted out throughout, that would still be like a bandaid. Yes, it's possible to weld cast iron, but it can be challenging: Brittleness Cast iron is brittle, and the welding process can make it even more brittle and prone to cracking. Carbon content Cast iron contains a lot of carbon, which can migrate into the weld and make it harder and more brittle.