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Old 09-16-2009, 02:22 PM
 
4 posts, read 9,601 times
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Looking at buying a home, in WV that needs some work, seller will discount but I have no idea what it will cost me to replace the steel pipes (outgoing only) with copper. Should be easy access since the basement ceiling tiles will get replaced anyway. Square footage is about 950 upstairs and 750 finished basement. Also need to regrade a 5 ft wide strip of side yard to slope away from house. Any input would be appreciated.
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Old 09-16-2009, 02:30 PM
 
Location: Knoxville
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If you are talking about waste pipes, then likely they will be replaced with plastic.
Are you talking about replacement only in the basement, or under ground too?
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Old 09-16-2009, 03:53 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
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If supply pipes, most plumbers now use PEX. It is cheaper faster and easier to instal, plus it is more durable and adds nothing to the water chemistry.

I think that about $5000 seems to be a good ballpark figure for a typical house. That is really a WAG. There is not way to come up with anything else without seeing the house and knowing where you want things.
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Old 09-16-2009, 08:26 PM
 
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Default Don't have a clue what you are talking about....

Waste and drain out of steel are horrible. They corrode and plug easy. Typical replacement is PVC.

Steel in water supply is also horrible, they corrode and plate out the junk in strange places. Again replacement with either copper or PEX or whatever is pretty easy.

If you can do the work yourself, costs of materials is nominal.
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Old 09-16-2009, 09:08 PM
 
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Actually cast iron piping on drain and sewer are still used in two story houses between the upstairs and downstairs because PVC is so noisy in walls. This is what is done on highend homes mostly. Nothing worng with cast iron;its just very expensive.
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Old 09-16-2009, 09:41 PM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texdav View Post
Actually cast iron piping on drain and sewer are still used in two story houses between the upstairs and downstairs because PVC is so noisy in walls. This is what is done on highend homes mostly. Nothing worng with cast iron;its just very expensive.
Really? Strange that in my last 30 years in new home construction I have never seen cast iron pipe used. Probably because it has not been used since about 1959. It has not even been available to purchase for more then 20 years. Plastic is not noisy.

Nothing wrong with cast iron? You mean it ain't too heavy to work with? Perhaps you should ask a Plumbers opinion on that one. I really dont think he will agree with you at all.
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Old 09-16-2009, 10:32 PM
 
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Default Cast iron is not steel

Texdav is right about the cast iron. Some peeps think it is better in terms of noise and that is probably right but not absolute. You can get the noise reduction and still use PVC by other techniques.

You can still buy cast iron in any plumbing supply shop, most plumbers can install it. I got all the stuff to do it. I prefer PVC. You need more skill for cast iron and it probably is going to be a more expensive installation.

In some houses you will find actual steel pipe used in drains. Usually in the smaller sizes, very bad stuff. The corrosion that happens tends to pickup stuff and it is not long before you have plugging problems.

In my present house, they used a 4 inch old steel drill pipe as part of the run from the house to the septic tank. Like a 40 foot section. Sucker plugged big time, lots of fun getting it out, backhoe could not lift it. I've got some pixs of the joy. One of the relatives even got me a T-Shirt for the occasion. It sezs " *hit Creek Survivor" and it shows a lil guy running around holding a paddle. Down in a clay soil ditch with all that seepage from many years. Moral of the story never go up that particular creek without your paddle. The joke now is who else was willing to get down in that ditch with me during the actual event. Various folks claim they did but I know they all are lying, including the GF.

OP did use the word "Steel", I sure hope he has a good grip on that paddle. Might need it. I had to cut that drill pipe into smaller sections in the ground and use a jack to pry it out / lift it with chains. Some houses you never know exactly what you might be getting into.

In that area where all that sewage seeped for all them years, I planted some tomatoes. Talk about fertilizer but them sewer bugs are there in droves too. It can be a chuckle from so many angles. Big tomatoes tho. They were growing the year after the line was replaced by just some seed flushed down the drain. Boocoo big cherry tomatoes. Had to be the guy before me. Things you never read about in books.
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Old 09-17-2009, 11:38 AM
 
Location: Knoxville
4,705 posts, read 25,186,006 times
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desertsun needs to get out of the sun and go out to some plumbing supply houses. :-)
While cast iron pipe is rarely used in horizontal runs, I have seen it used many times in new construction (high end homes) for the vent pipes, and vertical runs (as texdav said).
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Old 09-17-2009, 01:08 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,347,054 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texdav View Post
Actually cast iron piping on drain and sewer are still used in two story houses between the upstairs and downstairs because PVC is so noisy in walls. This is what is done on highend homes mostly. Nothing worng with cast iron;its just very expensive.

For our house, I reqruied that they use cast iron in all vertical drops that pass through walls in common rooms. I have seen 70 year old + vertical cast iron pipe that is still just fine. No corrosion to speak of. PVC is way too noisey. Vertical cast iron does not corrode much, it is the horontal pipes the gunk up. I thought that it was ok to use PVC vertical sewer pipe in walls that pass through noisey rooms like the kitchen, but not in the dining room, library or parlors. I wish that we had used cast iron for all of the vertical drops. You can insulate PVC, but it really does not help much at all. It is the material, not the insulation of the material that causes the gurggling sound. Insualtation has very little impact on it. Besides, if you have to wrap it with insulation, how much are you savnig? If your plumber does nto wnat to or know how to wok with cast iron, just find another plumber. There are lots out there hungry for work who can and will put in cast iron.

We had no problem finding cast iron pipe or finding people who can work with it.
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Old 09-17-2009, 02:06 PM
 
3,020 posts, read 25,674,056 times
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Default The noise reduction is all about mass...........

The cast iron works because it has more mass.

You can do the same thing with PVC, build a lil box out around it and fill it with a sand / cement mix. Will give you the same effect.
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