Kinda hard to tell from the pics...is that pipe somewhat down in a hole there where it is going out? If so you can fill the hole with hydraulic cement...or are you saying the pipe might be leaking? Some type of flex seal (paste?) might work to seal the pipe up if it is weeping...
It's hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like PVC connected to cast iron with a reinforced fernco repair fitting.
Thanks for your quick comments! I had the copper 4” stack replaced quite a few years ago with the PVC and he connected it to the old iron pipe in the ground with that black rubber drain connector. It worked fine but in the last 1.5 years it looks like it started weeping a bit so I had the same thoughts using something that was made to seal concrete. So I just picked this up, see pic
Yes and it workd good for a few years but seems to be weeping and this a drain fly in that first pic?
The wet hole in the crete looks like a possibly active floor drain remnant. Possibly. I have a similar looking drain. I covered it with a steel plate and a concrete block as it was not a primary/used floor drain. It will still take water if needed. I just wanted to stop critters from getting in! Oddity in my old house.
I'd like to know what is under the lower part of the fernco. Could be a crack in the cast. It doesn't look like you can get to it without cutting the stack. Maybe try to tighten the bands up. If there is a small piece of cast pipe sticking up into the lower end of the fernco, that could have a bad joint.
I seem to remember cast iron and scd 40 pvc do not have the same outside diameter, so the fernco could be the wrong size on one end and not sealing properly. Also the cast could be corroding and causing the leak.
No It is the connection to the old cast iron pipe that originally went to the septic tank in the front yard but now goes to the PVC sewer pipe using those rubber connectors to connect the PVC pipe coming down from the toilets.
Exactly right! It is the last part of the old cast iron pipe. I just spoke to my drain expert and he said to tighten the clamp and fill the hole with the expanding foam and then put hydraulic cement on top to make a good water seal. In the meantime to stuff it with a rag and see if the drain flies go away which I will do tonight! Thanks for your comments!!
Don't fill the hole with foam...the whole thing needs to be filled with hydraulic cement, if you are going to use that...it needs a "hole" to fill so it has something to expand against...it doesn't work well at all just being applied to the surface. But I would coat the old pipe with a good sealer, like Flex seal paste (not that drylok) and let it cure before doing the cement...and yes, likely the old cast is rusted and cracked to the point of leaking...the best fix would be to tear it out and replace it, but that would be a pretty good job...doing it at the same time as the others was done would have been better...but hindsight and all...
Scd 40 and cast are pretty close...SDR 35 is a good bit smaller though...still within the range of what a Fernco can handle though. If that cast pipe was really scaly rusty on the outside, it still might not seal up 100% water tight without some sealer of some type on it under the Fernco...and even then, it still could be cracked on past the Fernco...
Excellent idea on the flex seal! I really like that! Yes Hind Sight is 20-20 and if it was all dug out with a Jack hammer at the beginning it would have been easier! Anyway, I just bought the hydraulic cement so I will get the flex seal next. Thanks so much
And just FYI for the future, whenever you repair/splice an underground sewer line like your drain guy did for you there recently, a reinforced (or shielded) Fernco needs to be used to make the connection...the standard ones are subject to letting the pipes go offset (which is bad, especially on gravity flow sewer lines!) with settling over time...it's a real issue...I have personally redone this exact repair for this exact reason many times...real PITA. Here is what you want to use...Fernco Flexible Shielded Couplings | Fernco - US they resist going offset much better...not that the pipe itself won't sag if its not bedded in properly...
Another solution that should last longer is to remove the cast iron back to the next hub and use one of these https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fernco-...0-PVC-Compression-Coupling-P44U-405/100372279 to connect the pvc to the cast.
On this old house they had a P trap outside on the main line and removed it. They do not do that anymore because it causes problems. Those outside traps were called sewer traps or house traps and here is their issues They stopped using them after 1989. Dangers of Old House Traps | Austin Plumber Blog | Radiant Plumbing However my neighbor had a one way outside flapper valve that broke and clogged his whole house up one winter! His house was built in the early 1960s and that is why they do not use those anymore either!!
Some places still require them...but yes, they can solve one problem and create another. I only recommend them for people that live in a low neighborhood where the city sewer can be overwhelmed and backflow into peoples basements somewhat regularly...and even then, they need regular maintenance, and you better not be flushing things that don't belong in the sanitary sewer! (like baby wipes for one)
Traps can be sucked dry by the flow of water past them if there isn’t proper venting. New plumbing can make the issue worse as water flows better. A new washer that pumps faster can change the dynamics as well. Each drain needs its own vent. So it’s possible that while you think you have water in your traps, you may not. Thus allowing the flies up. Something to consider. How a Plumbing Trap Can Lose Water [VIDEO]
