Soil pipe alterations in leasehold flat

richardw

I want to re-do the bathroom in my leasehold flat.
I live on the ground floor with 2 flats above, so I have a responsibility not to cause a problem to the shared soil pipe.

The SVP is cast iron, and dates back to the mid sixties. I want to move the position of the WC to the other wall. So on plan the WC is moving 90 degrees.
Now the branch into the SVP would need to turn through 90 degrees on plan, but it is cast iron.

Would the simplest be for the plumber to cut a hole in the soil pipe for the new branch and then cut back and cap the old one off?

Do plumbers have good cast iron/plastic sealants?

bruce2110

if you have a plumber employed, he should know where to get the required fittings to to do what you want...

f.y.i - you could try a local builder centre/edwards biuldabase/travis perkins, or a similar type of merchants, you will need 2 rubber cast iron drain adaptors.

just ask them for a 100mm - 110mm adaptor -

they are black in colour, and have 4 large jubilee clips around they are specifically designed for this type of job

you will also need special cutters for cutting into the cast iron stack, these can usally be hired from most good hire shops, please be-aware that cutting into cast iron stacks are not your average diy jobs so make sure your plumber is compitent to do this type of work before starting your project!

cheers,

Bruce2110

richardw

Do they have special cutters for this job at http://www.hss.co.uk ?

moneysavingplumber

Cutting cast iron cleanly is very difficult in confined spaces. Wheel cutters usually won't fit around it. A small grinder will go much of the way through it, and then I usually finish off with a reciprocating saw, but space and fire risks may well impede. You need to make sure before the pipe is cut that all above sections are independently supported and that all collars are firmly secured, as if you cut out part of the bottom section and it isnt, the whole lot could drop which could be disastrous.

You'll need to get agreement from your upstairs neighbours not to use any wastes while the work is being done, it may not impress your plumber if they forget!

Personally I prefer Timesaver couplings to the rubber unions when joining onto cast iron, but as with most things it is a matter of preference. http://www.trademate.co.uk/products/productextra.asp?ProductCode=861620&M=I&Bounceback=/products/DrilldownProducts.asp?mode=1:Level2=7:Level3=AY:SubDesc=Drainage%20-%20Cast%20Iron%20:%20Timesavers:PageNo=1

On one other note, be sure that it is indeed cast iron and not asbestos, which can quite easily be mistaken for both cast iron and clay in it's different disguises, especially in a 1950s/60s property.

As Bruce says, make sure the person really knows what they are doing.

richardw

Thank you very much for your comments. I think the risk of the pipe collapsing is too high and I don't think I'll get anybody to do it without paying alot.

plumb1_2

moneysavingplumber wrote:

Personally I prefer Timesaver couplings to the rubber unions when joining onto cast iron, but as with most things it is a matter of preference. http://www.trademate.co.uk/products/productextra.asp?ProductCode=861620&M=I&Bounceback=/products/DrilldownProducts.asp?mode=1:Level2=7:Level3=AY:SubDesc=Drainage%20-%20Cast%20Iron%20:%20Timesavers:PageNo=1

.

I agree with MSP, i use timesver products, they are easy to use.(and fire proof)
I would also surjest installing a new cast-iron branch instead of plastic,as it will take the weight of the soil pipe above, unlike a plastic branch would.

bruce2110

richardw wrote:

Thank you very much for your comments. I think the risk of the pipe collapsing is too high and I don't think I'll get anybody to do it without paying alot.

Its not about paying somebody a lot to do the work, its just about makiing sure they are competent to carry out the work you want. There are alot of so called qualifiedplumbers pouring out of local college's at the moment, it would be prudent to ensure any one you hire is experienced is this type of work!!

As msp and plumb1 says, this is not a straight foward job and there a few issues to be considered before cutting into a cast iron stack!!

cheers,

Bruce2110.