I have a cast iron drain pipe (from 1955) in my basement that is completely exposed. It comes down from the 1st floor bathroom and goes straight into the concrete floor in the middle of the room about 6 feet from the outside wall. I am trying to remodel my basement but this thing started leaking about 2-3 years ago from the bottom 16 inches. I have not had much time to devote to it so I made half-hearted attempts to patch it. This would only last 2 or 3 months at most then start leaking again.

I now have time to repair it and finish the basement. I am going to enclose it with drywall, and make it accessible. There are a lot of new things on the market and I would like to know the best way to repair this. Thanks for your help. You guys have really saved me in the past.

Is it leaking from a joint, or from a crack in the pipe? Joints can sometimes be repaired, but that may require specialized skills and tools depending on how the joint is packed. Think pots of molten lead. If you have cracked cast iron pipe, replace as much of it as possible with PVC because even the pipes that are not cracked yet are suspect.