Cast Iron expansion

[william brooke]

We live in a 35 yr old, 5 story condo complex in South Florida. All CI waste lines. Several of the shower wastes are leaking and have rust marks showing along the bottom of the horizontal runs. Plumber claims that this is caused by the shrinkage and expansion of the CI because of seasonal use and drying out during the annual half year of non-use. I have owned hundreds of homes and rentals over the years and never had this issue. Is he blowing smoke or? And if there are hairline cracks, can a professional patch be applied that will be as effective without looking to replace the waste lines in 60 condos? thanks William

[Joseph Hagarty]

cast iron waste lines in a 35 year old building.?
replacement needs should be anticipated due to the age.
Replace with PVC / Copper / Cast as needed..

[Jim Luttrall]

We live in a 35 yr old, 5 story condo complex in South Florida. All CI waste lines. Several of the shower wastes are leaking and have rust marks showing along the bottom of the horizontal runs. Plumber claims that this is caused by the shrinkage and expansion of the CI because of seasonal use and drying out during the annual half year of non-use. I have owned hundreds of homes and rentals over the years and never had this issue. Is he blowing smoke or? And if there are hairline cracks, can a professional patch be applied that will be as effective without looking to replace the waste lines in 60 condos? thanks William

No patching of cracks, the offending sections will need to be replaced but 35 is young for quality cast iron... but some inferior product was used during later years. This may be your issue. Call another plumber for a second opinion but be prepared to hear the same story.

[Dom D'Agostino]

For large jobs where tearing out hundreds of cast iron drain lines is a problem, you can use an epoxy lining system, that forms a new pipe inside the old pipe. Many such systems out there, here is a random one for an example:

Mechanical Lining - Applications (http://www.nuflowtech.com/Products/EPOXYLINING/MechanicalLining/Applications.aspx)