Apocalypse Plumbing cut and post

[Oldtom]

The picture is a 1 1/2 inch galvanized pipe elbow installed in 1970. The blockage is a solid chunk of rust that closed off most of the pipe. I could never figure why the bathtub drained so slowly Anyhow the old pipe was cut out with a sawzall and replaced with Fernco fittings and PVC. That setup will outlive me. Anyhow, if your home or rental has galvanized water or drain pipe and you are getting low or no flow for some reason, the problem may be rust.

Thanks for reading.

 

[sloinker]

Galvanized pipe is so 1960. When purchasing a house, pass it by or require a giant discount on price for galvanized pipe, aluminum wiring, 2x4 stud walls or Zinsco panel's.

 

[JC1]

Thanks for the pics! I'm guessing the water drains much better now.

 

[JTK]

Brings back unpleasant memories. My last home was built in 1955 and every drain line was galvanized pipe like that.

Line by line I cut it out and replaced it with plastic for that same reason you found.

 

[y_p_w]

Looks pretty nasty. I would note that it's more than just rust. Is that hair and grease? I heard there might be ways to clean out buildup like that, but apparently sometimes it's just holding back a weak spot.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I have about a 4 foot section of galvanized left. Based off the date code of the PVC, someone switched to PVC almost everywhere in the house back in 1987.

Looks pretty nasty. I would note that it's more than just rust. Is that hair and grease? I heard there might be ways to clean out buildup like that, but apparently sometimes it's just holding back a weak spot.

My parents had that happen. Tried to clean out a plugged metal pipe and that was it; pipe had a huge hole in it after that.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Galvanized pipe is so 1960. When purchasing a house, pass it by or require a giant discount on price for galvanized pipe, aluminum wiring, 2x4 stud walls or Zinsco panel's.

My old house had mostly cast iron pipe for drains.

 

[opus1]

Don't forget to include drum traps in that mix...

 

[y_p_w]

My old house had mostly cast iron pipe for drains.

I don't know exactly how much cast iron I have, although I suspect a bunch since my house is late 40s construction. I have exposed walls downstairs and I can see some of the pipes.

The only thing I could verify the insides was one drain opening that's cast iron before being fused to copper. I could see it through the opening. It wasn't plugged up, but it looked nasty with a combination of rust, hair, and sludge. I cleaned it out with a toothbrush and CLR, and luckily there's no hole in it.

 

[Oldtom]

The person who came up with Fernco fittings should win a Nobel prize. Fernco fittings make a horrible job easy.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Don't forget to include drum traps in that mix...

I have seen A LOT of drum traps in the plumbing side of my career.
Also, there are 2 grades of cast iron. When you use a Ridgid chain cutter to cut XS cast iron, YOU KNOW!

 

[Jarlaxle]

I don't know exactly how much cast iron I have, although I suspect a bunch since my house is late 40s construction. I have exposed walls downstairs and I can see some of the pipes.

The only thing I could verify the insides was one drain opening that's cast iron before being fused to copper. I could see it through the opening. It wasn't plugged up, but it looked nasty with a combination of rust, hair, and sludge. I cleaned it out with a toothbrush and CLR, and luckily there's no hole in it.

Until redone with PVC, everything in my house was either cast iron or lead. (1860s house, plumbing added circa 1905)