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Posted by Puddin' Man on November 23, 2006, 11:20 pm
>Puddin' Man wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> I belong to a little brick bungalow in the midwest, built in
>> '54, poured-concrete foundation.
>>
>> The kitchen is in the back on the East side. Under the sink is
>> the usual P-traps etc which direct flow into a near-horozontal
>> copper pipe (maybe 2 " dia.) running thru the wall.
>>
>> In the basement under the pipe is a window. I built a spare
>> bedrrom down there 20 years ago. To the left of the window
>> is a closet inside of which is the elec. svc. panel and,
>> a few inches from the edge of the window, a cast iron soil pipe
>> (vertical, lead/oakum joints) running thru the floor.
>>
>> I just found water on the floor of the bedroom. The top of the
>> window was soaked. Either the top of the soil pipe or, more
>> likely, the juncture between the copper pipe and the soil pipe
>> is leaking. I can't see the leak (yet), but there's nothing
>> else in the immediate area to leak. Unless there's several
>> feet of flow path from the kitchen sink supply over to the
>> area of the copper drain pipe (doesn't sound likely, but
>> I cant see).
>>
>> I've got fans down there to dry things out. I guess in the
>> morn I'll run water thru the drain to hopefully confirm the
>> leak is from the drain, 'tho it's in the wall and I won't
>> be able to see it.
>>
>> Don't really know what to do. How does one nail down the
>> source of the leak and fix? Rip the sink cabinets out,
>> tear the plaster wall apart?
>>
>> I had to cut maybe 6' of soil pipe out last year and
>> replace with pvc, but it was horozontal and chock full
>> of crud. Vertical cast iron soil pipe is supposed to
>> last like 100 years? How likely is it to fail in
>> 56 years? How likely the copper pipe (in the kitchen
>> wall) to fail?
>>
>> Any help sizing this up would be much appreciated.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Puddin'
>>
>> Pease pudding hot,
>> Pease pudding cold,
>> Pease pudding in the pot
>> Nine days old ...
>
> Copper in DWV service only has a life of 40-50 years.
> The harsh soaps and chemicals eat thru it until it
> looks like lace curtain.
So the copper was more-or-less duw to fail ...
> Where the copper enters the CI stack, there should
> be some kind of hub you may be able to attach a
> Fernco coupling to and extend with 2" PVC.
> That would avoid disturbing the stack at all.
The stack is roof-vented. So there's maybe a
90 degree joint where copper meets iron?
Yeah, if I gotta go thru the kitchen (ceramic)
tiles (I dunno how), PVC would be preferable.
> See if you can make a run dropped below the
> ceiling without duplicating the old run.
And just leave the old copper stuff in place?
Doubt there's room, all kinds of wiring, etc
above the basement suspended ceiling. Also,
I dunno how to tap into the cast iron (lead/oakum).
> Kitchen traps connected to a 2" waste line
> were often permitted without a vent connection,
> so don't be surprised if there isn't a vent.
There's a roof vent: I shoulda remembered.
> Bore a hole thru the floor under the sink
> if that looks like a good way to make the run.
It now looks like I'll hafta go thru kitchen wall,
deal with the copper/iron juncture somehow. But
I'll look closer tomorrow.
Damn, I hate it when they put stuff's gonna fail
in the walls (inaccessable). Guess what they
installed was about the best available, 'tho.
Thanks,
Puddin'
Pease pudding hot,
Pease pudding cold,
Pease pudding in the pot
Nine days old ...
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