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Author:
Artie.T (NJ)
Hi Everyone,
I need some help ASAP. I live in a 1970's ranch home on a slab. The main bath started to leak so we decided to replace it with one of those surrounds that comes with the tub. Once I removed the tub, I discovered that the cast iron street Y going into another fitting that heads to the main line was rusted & cracked.
This is where I'm asking for your help! How do I disconnect the broken end of the cast iron pipe from a hub that used a compression gasket inside the hub to make the connection 40 years ago?
Any suggestions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
I am also concerned that the joint may have pertinently fused itself closed with rust. Does this happen?
Thanks again,
Artie.T
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Author:
packy (MA)
if you are talking about a push-in type gasket, i would drill a bunch of holes in it until it disintergrated.
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Author:
sum (FL)
Whatever you do to take it apart don't let any debris fall into the pipe. Stuff a rag or something in it tight so any pieces come loose from prying, sawing, cutting, dynamiting will not drop down.
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Author:
Artie.T (NJ)
Thanks for the quick replies.
Once the pipe was open, the first thing I did was stuff the rag in. (The wife said no gas or rats allowed)
I cut out the upper half of the broken pipe and now need to remove the lower piece that is held inside the hub of a good fitting using one of those rubber donuts. I tried to drill it out without much luck, it just left a lot of black dust around the fitting and the rubber just bounces back and the bit doesn't go the full length of the hub. (I'll get a longer bit and try again tomorrow)
The pipe runs under a wall into my homes main hallway. I don't want to have to remove the rug, cut the slab, dig a ditch in the hall and cut into the cast iron main unless the current pipe /work site breaks in the process of removing the piece of pipe from the hub.
I was also thinking about trying to heat the inner pipe piece with a torch to melt the donut some, causing it to release. Do you guys think this will work or is this a bad idea?
Edited 1 times.
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Author:
KCRoto (MO)
Ever seen tires burning? I wouldn't put heat to it, but you can use a sawzall on the inside of the pipe, then you should be able to use a heavy screwdriver to pry the pipe into the center and hopefully break a piece off, releasing the tension in the joint. A couple of hammer taps after that and it should come out. If you use a sawzall, I recommend using Lenox Laser blades. They are taller and stiffer than normal, so the cutting teeth stay where they belong and the blade doesn't flex. The link shows the picture, not endorsing any seller. [www.bandsawbladesdirect.com]
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Author:
m & m (MD)
Is there any chance that you can cut the hub off and begin there as a connection point? I'm guessing you've probably already considered that but needs to be asked anyway.
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Author:
sum (FL)
well, I'll tell you what NOT to do. I once had a similar situation like yours but it was a 3" CI pipe with a rubber donut into a 3" hub but it was outside at the ground level next to the concrete driveway and I couldn't get it out. Prying, pushing, pulling, cursing, spraying WD40, drilling holes in the rubber donut etc...none worked.
I finally had this great idea, I poured soapy water down there into the mutilated rubber donut, then I inserted a 6' long 3X2 into the pipe, and standing up I was able to kind of rock back and forth, I thought that would eventually work the pipe loose from the hub much like how you would loosen out the cork from a wine bottle.
Well it did seem to work a bit the pipe came out a good 1/4" before I got more aggressive with the rocking and BOOM I got the pipe out - along with the hub it was attached to, along with the broken end of that fitting, I dug down and found out that fitting was a street 45, with the male end inserted into another hub and THAT HUB had a crack in it from my rocking action. That last fitting was a branch of a 4X4X3 combo, so eventually I end up digging a big hole in the ground to get to the horizontal pipe and cut out the entire contraption and reworked the connections with PVC.
So don't try to pry it loose by rocking the pipe back and forth LOL.
Edited 1 times.
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Author:
ravi102769 (VA)
I always had good luck with a brick chisel and a two pound hammer.
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Author:
Artie.T (NJ)
I'd like to thank all of you that replied to my post. I read all the suggestion and was looking for some reassurance in some of the ways I was looking at tackling this problem.
I am happy to tell everyone that I was able to get the broken pipe out of the cast iron hub after about two and a half hours, three 1/4" drill bits, and trying to use a trigger clamp in reverse as a spreader with one arm on the hub and a chain attached to the other and the broken pipe (got it to move about 1/8".
At that point it would wiggle a little bit, but still would not come out and that's when I went for the torch. I brought the garden hose in, turned on the bath fan and started to heat it up from the inside of the broken pipe and 15 minutes later I had it out!
Now the plan is to rebuild from the CI with a new donut and PVC, add a sanitary tee for the tub trap and a flex coupling to the existing copper vent.
Thanks again everyone.
Artie.T
Edited 1 times.
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Author:
bernabeu (SC)
good job with the torch !
it took an 'artist' to heat and soften the rubber w/o burning/melting !
the main 'trick' is use finesse and not brute force
sawzalling a notch and collapsing seem to work for me
==============================================
"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638
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