Question:
Okay, folks, here’s the deal: We’re attempting to reclaim an upstairs bathroom that the former owners sealed off…and I think I just found out why they did. When flushing the upstairs toilet, the downstairs bathroom wall gets wet. No running water sound, so I checked the wax ring, ets.; nothing there leaking. Since we’re refurbishing the entire room (wanna get the toilet running properly, new sink, and new shower…the plumbingwas already in place), I proceeded to take up a section of the flooring. Lo and behold, the area beneath the toilet appears to be dry as a bone. Looked further, saw the waste/drain line travels ‘neath the floor to an opposing wall, about 7′-8′ away, and then downward. Flushed…and saw water running down the side of the drainline, beneath a joint, the top of which appears to be dry (I can’t reach in that far). There’s a bathroom downstairs, beneath this one. Now, my question(s): 1) I have no problem in tearing out the floor in the upstairs bath, nor the wall downstairs. Is this just a matter of replacing a section of drain pipe? (It’s cast-iron.) 2) Is there any way I can get around replacing said pipe…some sort of ’seal’ I can use, rather than cutting the doggone thing out? This place is 100+ years old…I’d like not to be the cause of any further damage. Carpentry I can do…I’m NOT a whiz at plumbing. Thanks for any and all help! RSC
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Okay, folks, here’s the deal: We’re attempting to reclaim an upstairs > bathroom that the former owners sealed off…and I think I just found out > why they did. When flushing the upstairs toilet, the downstairs bathroom > wall gets wet. No running water sound, so I checked the wax ring, ets.; > nothing there leaking. Since we’re refurbishing the entire room (wanna get > the toilet running properly, new sink, and new shower…the plumbingwas > already in place), I proceeded to take up a section of the flooring. Lo and > behold, the area beneath the toilet appears to be dry as a bone. Looked > further, saw the waste/drain line travels ‘neath the floor to an opposing > wall, about 7′-8′ away, and then downward. Flushed…and saw water running > down the side of the drainline, beneath a joint, the top of which appears to > be dry (I can’t reach in that far). There’s a bathroom downstairs, beneath > this one. Now, my question(s): > 1) I have no problem in tearing out the floor in the upstairs bath, nor the > wall downstairs. Is this just a matter of replacing a section of drain pipe? > (It’s cast-iron.) > 2) Is there any way I can get around replacing said pipe…some sort of > ’seal’ I can use, rather than cutting the doggone thing out? This place is > 100+ years old…I’d like not to be the cause of any further damage. > Carpentry I can do…I’m NOT a whiz at plumbing. > Thanks for any and all help! > RSC
Cast iron has a lifespan of 100 years. <bg> Actually, the problem is the horizontal run. When CI is run with little pitch, it often corrodes right thru at the lowest point due to residual moisture/corrosive products. The fix is to replace as much as you can with PVC. This is *not* a job for the novice DIY’er. Perhaps you could expedite the job by doing the floor removal as required for someone to get in there. Since you’re doing a major rehab up there, I would recommend replacing all the CI from floor level up thru the roof. That will give you new waste connections in the new bath as well. Jim
Response:
Jim…well, at least that’s a start. Thanks! ::grin:: We’re on a budget (but heck, ain’t everybody?), so we’re trying to keep costs on this to a minimum. What baffles me is why it seems so dry on the horizontal run, and doesn’t appear wet till the below that joint I spoke of earlier, which is about 2 feet below the second-story floor level? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Okay, folks, here’s the deal: We’re attempting to reclaim an upstairs > bathroom that the former owners sealed off…and I think I just found out > why they did. When flushing the upstairs toilet, the downstairs bathroom > wall gets wet. No running water sound, so I checked the wax ring, ets.; > nothing there leaking. Since we’re refurbishing the entire room (wanna get > the toilet running properly, new sink, and new shower…the plumbingwas > already in place), I proceeded to take up a section of the flooring. Lo and > behold, the area beneath the toilet appears to be dry as a bone. Looked > further, saw the waste/drain line travels ‘neath the floor to an opposing > wall, about 7′-8′ away, and then downward. Flushed…and saw water running > down the side of the drainline, beneath a joint, the top of which appears to > be dry (I can’t reach in that far). There’s a bathroom downstairs, beneath > this one. Now, my question(s): > 1) I have no problem in tearing out the floor in the upstairs bath, nor the > wall downstairs. Is this just a matter of replacing a section of drain pipe? > (It’s cast-iron.) > 2) Is there any way I can get around replacing said pipe…some sort of > ’seal’ I can use, rather than cutting the doggone thing out? This place is > 100+ years old…I’d like not to be the cause of any further damage. > Carpentry I can do…I’m NOT a whiz at plumbing. > Thanks for any and all help! > RSC > Cast iron has a lifespan of 100 years. <bg> > Actually, the problem is the horizontal run. > When CI is run with little pitch, it often corrodes right thru > at the lowest point due to residual moisture/corrosive products. > The fix is to replace as much as you can with PVC. > This is *not* a job for the novice DIY’er. > Perhaps you could expedite the job by doing the > floor removal as required for someone to get in there. > Since you’re doing a major rehab up there, I would recommend > replacing all the CI from floor level up thru the roof. > That will give you new waste connections in the new bath as well. > Jim
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