We live in a rambler built in the late 40’s in Washington State. One of our dogs was digging at the rear of our house just now and uncovered the cast iron pipe from our toilet. I had no idea it was so close to the surface. Anyway, the cast iron extends a couple of feet out, then the corner clay piece is broken. At time of writing I don’t know if anything else further down the line is broken or not, I now have my weekend project.

If it appears that only the corner piece is broken, and if I can remove it, can I do anything to help preserve the cast iron while it’s exposed, and can I assume a PVC corner piece sealed with epoxy would do the trick?

-Dave

Dave, I would suggest replacing the damaged clay pipe with PVC or ABS pipe and approved rubber couplings. These couplings are made specifically with a cast iron hub (sized to fit over cast iron) on one end and the other end sized to fit over PVC or ABS. You could try using either concrete or a polyethylene encasement to protect the cast iron.

-Brian

I have a leak coming through my basement wall beneath where the drain pipe leads through the wall and out to the main sewer.  I thought it might be ground water, but noticed recently the leak seems to come back most aggressively when we are using high amounts of water in the house at the same time (like both showers running simultaneously).  The water coming from the wall looks clean though, and doesn’t smell like sewage water as I would expect if the drain pipe were leaking, but then again, I know nothing about plumbing, really.  On the other side of this wall, in the yard is a covered concrete slab patio which extends about 12′ from the foundation wall and out into the yard.  About another ten feet from that is a tree which is approx. 50′ wide by 50′ tall.  All of this is directly above where I believe the main drain runs into the sewer system.  Also, the house was built in ‘51 and the pipes leading out look to be cast iron.  I don’t even know who to call for help at this point, but I know the water saturating my block basement wall must be STOPPED!  Any help you can offer will be appreciated.

- Bill

Bill, you may have two separate problems. It might be best to first determine if you have a leak in either your water service or a partial plug of your sewer line (with a sewer back up, you would typically experience the back up directly into your home). I would suggest getting a pressure test on your water service to determine if it has a leak. Make sure it’s performed by someone reputable and that they have the right equipment. This is the best place to start –determine if this is the problem (and repair it), it may take care of the seepage issue. If not, and water is coming in from the outside, you probably have a subsoil drainage problem where ground water is not being displaced by your basement’s waterproofing. In that case you should consult a waterproofing company.

-Brian

I just found out that a slab foundation summer house we just purchased has orangeberg (fiber conduit) drain pipes.  I am told by my plumber that these drain pipes will need to be replaced within the next 10 years; but I do not want the expense and headache of tearing out the cement slab to replace it.  Can you offer any suggestions?  I understand that the orangeberg is very brittle and will not withstand an epoxy sleeve. Please help!

-Gigi

Gigi, because Orangeburg pipes are made of layers of wood pulp and pitch they’re not repairable. Epoxy lining is not an option, but if enough of the Orangeburg pipe is intact, it’s possible that sock lining might be. Sock lining consists of a felt sock being pulled through an existing pipe and then inflated/expanded to fill the width of the old pipe. The sock cures in place and you have a new pipe inside of your old one. I recommend contacting a reputable trenchless technologies company that offers sock lining services. You may be able to find someone through the website of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology, www.nastt.org.

-Brian

What would the difference be between seepage vs. busted pipes? For insurance purposes?

-Jennifer

Jennifer, since I’m not an insurance expert, I’ll defer to a qualified insurance agent –Tim Eckley of Elite Insurance Coverage, who has a simple explanation:

Seepage usually occurs slowly over time and may be the result of normal wear and tear or deterioration which is not covered by most insurance policies. A broken pipe is sudden and accidental and is covered by most policies. Whether or not your insurance will cover the repair of the affected pipe(s) or the damage to property or structure is something you’ll need to find out from your insurance agent.

-Brian

My shower pipe is leaking from the top. I think that it is the threading on the pipe because we have removed the shower and bought a stopper to screw on the pipe but it is still leaking through. There isn’t a hole in the pipe it just we can’t stop the water coming through.

-Correen

Correen, I’m not sure if you’re referring to your shower head or the other end of the shower head arm. I suggest that you remove the arm, apply some Teflon tape (the yellow type which is approved for gas is much better than the white type and you’ll need less of it because it’s thicker) to the threads –wrapped around clockwise 2-3 times. Gently press the tape into the threads and reconnect. Tighten first by hand and then with a wrench –use a piece of heavy cloth, rubber, or even duct tape around the surface of the metal to protect from scratching it with the wrench. Carefully tighten but make sure not to over-tighten, and then test to see if it’s leaking. If it is, try tightening it a little more. You can try the same thing with the shower head.

-Brian

Sometimes after the water has been run once for a bath, if the water is ran again shortly after it comes out with a yellow tint. Does this indicate there is something wrond with my pipes or maybe my hot water heater?

-Jay

Jay, When the flow of water coming into your bathtub is shut off, it becomes stagnant and comes into contact with tuberculation in the pipes. Tuberculation is the buildup of deposit (scale or rust for example) in a pipe -possibly from corrosion. It can cause water discoloration and even low water pressure if builds up too much. Having someone clean out the pipe will take care of the discoloration and epoxy lining it will prevent it from happening in the future.

-Brian

When I turn an outside faucet on, I hear a loud clanking sound. This noise is particularly loud to someone inside the house. Someone suggested that it could be air in the water line. What do you think might be the problem?

- Brenda

Brenda, this is probably due to some piping that is not adequately supported. With the water moving through the pipe it is creating some inertia which is causing the pipes to move and bang against the structure of your home. You’ll need to find the source of the noise, cut the wall and repair the problem by securing it with approved clamps.

-Brian

Help! I have a medium sized seashell stuck in the drain pipe of my host’s shower. What can I do to get it out or dissolve it?

-Rosana

Rosana, dissolving a seashell takes a powerful acid, such as hydrocloric acid (HCL), which can damage (and even eat through) the pipe metal. If it can’t be pulled out then it may have to be broken apart. The bottom line is that you don’t want to make this worse, I would recommend telling your host about the seashell and maybe offering to help him/her remove it or help pay for a plumber to come out.

-Brian

I have a 12 year old home and I got a tiny pin hole leak in the copper pipe not at a connection. After getting it fixed, 3 days later a got another tiny pin leak inches of way. What could cause this and should i worry about the entire line?

- Jason

Jason, a single pinhole leak can be a fluke, but if you have more than one there’s a good chance that you have a systemic problem. A pinhole leak is the final breakthrough in an area of the pipe’s wall that has been affected by pitting –a form of corrosion. Replacing the section of pipe or the whole system will turn back the clock, but won’t stop the pitting and leaks from happening again or in different spots. You may be able to have your current pipes epoxy lined which would restore them to like-new condition and prevent water from coming into direct contact with the pipe wall. Click here for more information about copper pipe leaks or pinhole leaks. For more information about epoxy pipe lining click here.

-Brian

I have a cast iron sewer pipe in my basement.  It has an oxidized residue of some sort on it and isn’t pretty, but so far hasn’t failed.  However, last night I noticed that it appears to have some cracks in it.  Nothing is oozing out of the cracks, but I’m worried now that it may fail.  I never even knew that cast iron would crack.  Do you know if the crack could just be some type of outer sleeve, or if it is getting ready to fail?

-Heather

Heather, cast iron pipe is a very brittle and porous pipe. Flexing and settling over time can cause it to crack, and it’s also prone to wearing out (from the inside out) when continually used. You can’t tell when or if the pipe will leak just by looking at it, it’s possible that it may never leak, or that it could start leaking tomorrow. I would suggest keeping an eye on it and when/if it fails, calling in a plumber to replace it. Or, you may want to talk to local plumbers that offer “sock lining”, a process in which a lining is inserted into the pipe creating a pipe within the existing pipe. It’s generally used for longer lengths of pipe that what you’re describing, so I’m not sure that would be possible or a cost-effective alternative to replacement.

-Brian