# cast iron drain pipe repair



## sirtokesalot

i was moving stuff around in the basement today and something hit one of the drain pipes hard enough to break a half inch by inch and a half sized hole into the pipe right now i have electrical tape wrapped over it so we can use the kitchen sink still but it drips. i dident expect it to actually stop a leak. what can i do to patch the pipe? we can not afford to replace it right now is there something i can patch it with? the hole is on a t fitting so a rubber coupler and hose clamps would not work here. the hole is on the bottom i dident take any pics before taping over it.


----------



## MPR

Cast pipes are a mess when they get old enough to start breaking. I've started on what I thought were simple repairs and ended up replacing the plumbing for half of a house. The problem being that everything is usually rusted together and you break a new section of pipe every time you wrench or cut.

If you don't want to tackle the job right now, then you might try some epoxy putty. I've got such a patch on a drain pipe that got located in a small crawlspace when I put in a downstairs bathroom in my house. I couldn't easily get to it and didn't feel like re-plumbing so I just glommed on a handful of epoxy putty.

Thus far, my "temporary" patch has held for twenty years. However, by the looks of your picture, you might be looking at replacing quite a bit of that drain pipe sometime in the next year or so. How old is the plumbing in the house?


----------



## priority1

> Thus far, my "temporary" patch has held for twenty years. However, by the looks of your picture, you might be looking at replacing quite a bit of that drain pipe sometime in the next year or so. How old is the plumbing in the house?


Yes, if the integrity of the Iron is ok, not flaky pieces of rust, "some epoxy putty" or a waterproof type of putty seems a great idea. 
Maybe a good idea to look around your local Hardware Store and see what is available, without having to consult a plumber. :nonono:


----------



## kendallt

Looks like a lot of tape!

Inspect the pipe for cracks, you don't always get a clean hole in cast iron pipes, often there will be cracks that can extend quite a ways from it. 

They make a patch kit that contains a mesh tape and a cement, wrap pipe with the tape and apply the cement, it makes a very hard and water proof patch that will last longer than the pipe.


----------



## sirtokesalot

the plumbing in the house is all original. i was considering cutting out the section with the damaged t and replacing it with pvc and rubber couplers to re connect to the cast iron on ither side of the t and rebuild the washer hookup.


----------



## MPR

In that recent picture, the situation looks better, although it's hard to tell the exact condition of the pipes because of the paint. There is plenty of room and nothing that is prone to burning (once you disconnect the hoses and move the junk out of the way). However, cast iron plumbing repair is what I would consider near the upper end of the DIY spectrum. Most homeowners won't have the saws, torches and large wrenches to accomplish this, much less the expertise. The more that you damage trying to repair things yourself the more you will have to play a plumber to fix.


----------



## Wrench97

Seeing that trap on the right pretty much eliminates using no-hub couplers which using hubs gets you into packing oakum and pouring lead to do the repair without having to replace a bunch of pipes................


----------



## kendallt

That last pic makes it look feasible to replace the T with PVC and some fernco fittings, depending on how tight the trap wraps around to the pipe. 
Or could replace trap with PVC as well, just move the plumber's tape to the other side of the joint to support on the iron, not the PVC.


----------



## sirtokesalot

kendallt said:


> That last pic makes it look feasible to replace the T with PVC and some fernco fittings, depending on how tight the trap wraps around to the pipe.
> Or could replace trap with PVC as well, just move the plumber's tape to the other side of the joint to support on the iron, not the PVC.



this is how i was thinking to fix it. the trap is just a pipe for the washer drain it should probably be supported as well.


----------



## kendallt

sirtokesalot said:


> this is how i was thinking to fix it. the trap is just a pipe for the washer drain it should probably be supported as well.


 Yep, looks like I just rewrote your post


----------



## sirtokesalot

got ahold of my step dad finally and got him to stop by he is a plumber and got his advice for now he has put a temp patch type thing on it and it should hold for now untill he gets the right parts and peices to put it back together.


----------



## Vegassparky

That's the easiest way to get it fixed, sirtokes. LOL


----------

