I have to dig a trench to expose our OLD sewer line... which hasn't seen the light of day since Eisenhower.

Silly question maybe:

Is there any harm having the old cast and clay exposed to the elements for a few days?.... rain is expected.

the only danger would be someone falling in the hole..

In some places people would throw themselves in the hole so that they can sue you.

yeah, but if the fall proved to be fatal, that would be called death by sewercide..

How fragile are those pipes?... they sure look old and crusty.... Im getting anxiety attacks looking at them!

@ Packy...too funny. you make that up?

yellow caution tape serves a good purpose around open holes. use it people (and i'm talking to myself!)

I am "old and crusty", but would not harm you if you looked at me, neither will the pipes.

Doug E.... no i can not take credit for that..

"I am "old and crusty", but would not harm you if you looked at me, neither will the pipes."


You might reconsider if I left you out in torrential rain without a covering....

So I was finishing excavating the underground cast iron. I tried carefully to expose it by hand around the surface of the pipe.

As I was knocking clay off the pipe I accidently pulled off a rusty growth on the surface of the pipe.

Did I just make a huge mistake and cause a leaker?

Theres a number of spots that has these "growths".... can the plumber simply cut at one of these spots, grind it down and make his joint/coupling at the same spot?

With all the posts, you had a leaking elbow right at your basement wall didn't you? or was that someone else?

That was a 'barnacle' that you knocked loose. No harm done.