Sooner or later, you’d have to get the cast iron pipes in your house repaired. There is no way that you can avoid the repairs. At the end, when the pipes have problems, you will have two options, to call a professional from a reputable plumber like Mesa plumbing Company in Scottsdale, try and do it yourself, an option generally not advised.
If you wish to repair them, you need to do it right, or you will end up damaging the pipes further and will have to spend more on the repair. Cast iron pipe repair is an easy task; however, the only problem that you might face is the great weight of these pipes, which can damage the pipes further. If you fix a PVC section in the pipes, then it can help you a great deal when you repair the cast iron pipes. Below are some steps that can help you while you perform the repairs of cast iron pipes.
Step #1 Check for Damages
The first step is to scan the pipes thoroughly. After a short scan of these pipes, if you find a moist spot, then it is a sign that the pipe has damages on it. Cast iron pipes are prone to rust damages. Further, examine the entire pipe and search for the weak leaky spots. Use a dark marker to mark those points and measure the damage carefully.
Step #2 Turn off and Drain All Supply Pipes
After detecting the problem, the next step is to turn off all pipelines that supply water. Drain them to ensure that you eliminate as much water as possible.
Step #3 Cut the Affected Areas
Use a saw with diamond edges and cut the rusty ends of the pipes. Split the pipe in to two halves. While cutting the pipes, make sure that you remove all the water and don’t allow it to run back in to the other pipelines.
Step #4 Cut the Ends and Separate the Pipes
Cut the pipes from the marker points that you marked. Once you have cut the ends, remove the damaged sections, and discard them.
Step #5 Cut Another PVC pipe
Using the same measurements as the cast iron pipe repair cut out a separate PVC pipe. With these new pipes, you can easily fix the damaged ends of the cast iron pipe. Use couplings and join the two ends of the pipes.
Step #6 Join the Pipes with a Gasket
At the joint where the PVC and cast iron pipes meet, place a gasket near them, about half an inch close the joints and turn the rings tightly.
Step #7 Run a Test
After you have fixed the pipes, run a short test. This means that you can turn on the water valves and watch the pipes for a while. Try to feel the pipes for further leakages. If you feel that the joints of the PVC and cast iron pipe repair are still leaking, then tighten the rings again.