Soil pipe leaking - how to fix?

waterwatereverywhere

Hi,

We have a problem with our soil pipe (the large black one that takes waste from toilet).

Before we owned the house it had what I think is called a "boss" pipe added to it - an extra small pipe routed into the side to take waste from the bathroom sink as well.

The sink waste was then re-routed somewhere else and the boss pipe was removed but leaving in place the "boss" bit sealed off.

This "boss" bit keeps leaking and we can see pee (yuk) on the paving stone beneath from time to time. It is only drips and nothing worse than this(!) but still not nice and also leaves nasty looking drip marks all along the length of the pipe.

We can't even work out clearly where the drip is coming from but it is somewhere around this boss.

Have tried putting loads of silicone sealant all around the area but this hasn't worked.

Please does anyone know what we could do to seal the leak? Would prefer not to have to remove the whole pipe as it is cemented into the ground and it would be a nightmare to have to lift the paving stones etc.

Is there a way to cut off the section of pipe with the boss bits in and replace that part and if so how can we ensure the new bit doesn't leak?

Hope someone can help as this pipe looks so unsightly it always catches my eye as soon as I go in the garden...

amerste

You don't mention what material your pipe is, presuming it's upvc, just cut out the area of the boss with a hacksaw and replace with a pipe connector, loosen off the brackets above the boss and slide the pipe up to accomadate the new fitting, sliding the pipe back into place and retighten the brackets.

googler

If it's leaking out from the SIDE of the pipe, and silicone sealant hasn't stopped it, then doesn't that suggest the pipe is blocked further down, and is backing up to this level?

Do any other pipes feed into it at a lower level than this? If so, then this theory is wrong.

However - silicone sealant won't cure on a wet surface, which this seems to be. Go to a plumber's merchant to see what's available in terms of jointing/sleeving kits for your pipe size/style (black pipe suggests to me it's cast iron - also external pipes are usually cast iron, aren't they?), or call in a plumber.

googler

google can be your friend - a search for "cast iron downpipe repair" yielded this

http://www.sylmasta.com/acatalog/Pipe_Repair_Products.html

keystone

I'm really not sure why you think its cast? Have you ever tried drilling a hole in a 4" cast soil pipe to fit a strap-on boss?

Methinks its almost certainly plastic.

Cheers

keystone

waterwatereverywhere wrote: »

The sink waste was then re-routed somewhere else and the boss pipe was removed but leaving in place the "boss" bit sealed off.

Almost certainly bodged by the sound of it.

Have tried putting loads of silicone sealant all around the area but this hasn't worked.

You'd be better off with plumbers mait as a temporary fix.

How has the boss been sealed? Is the boss still attached to the pipe or has it been removed and a poor attempt been made to fill the hole?

A couple of pics might help. Close up of the problem and also of the whole stack.

Cheers

googler

keystone wrote: »

I'm really not sure why you think its cast? Have you ever tried drilling a hole in a 4" cast soil pipe to fit a strap-on boss?

Methinks its almost certainly plastic.

Cheers

Fair enough; I thought the plastic ones were universally grey.

waterwatereverywhere

Thanks and sorry to cause such confusion! Yep it's definitely plastic, not cast iron. It had been painted black before we moved in and it had nasty lines running down it so we repainted it black again but the lines ... and leaks... have returned.

It's hard to see exactly where it's leaking from as there are so many run mark lines down it but cannot see an actual "drip" to narrow it down.

Will try to upload some pics - it looks a big mess as we've tried the sealant and some roof sealant stuff that was hanging about in the shed .... anything we could lay our hands on that we thought might seal it but to no avail...

ormus

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/47977/Plumbing/Soil-Vent/Black-Double-Pipe-Coupler-SP105

one of these will cure it. simple to fit.
assuming you have enough spare pipe (height), to drop into the new gap?