Best Way To Cut 4" Iron Sewer Pipe??? Plumbers.....

[salvageV6]

Any best tools for the job?

I will be purchasing a 3"-6" die/angle grinder electric model, help with wheel size and brand would be nice.

Gonna buy a sawzall too since borrowing one would be easy but since it's a sewer pipe I will get my own.

Any tips on wheels or best blades to use ?

Pipe is about an inch from a concrete wall, so I figure the die grinder for one side and sawzall for the other.

Leaks out of top of 4" rotted iron pipe in basement and the pipe is mostly clogged I am assuming, just got it cleared enough to use it by snaking it so it currently is not leaking and usable.

Will be replacing about a 5 ft. section and using Fernco couplers in neoprene (not pvc) and CPVC plastic pipe since our hot water is about 170 degrees due to the ancient heating system design in use.

Water will hit the new pipe and fittings over 140 degrees at times for sure.

Any tips on tools or install would be appreciated.

 

[626gn]

Provided you can pass the chain between the concrete wall and pipe, a snap cutter will make quick work of it and give you a nice clean cut. Your local rent-a-tool place will have them.

 

[salvageV6]

I will check them out and make a good measurement. Thanks.

 

[novaderrik]

iron pipe?

 

[turbotroy]

You'll need cut-off wheels for your grinder and Lennox sawzall blades are about the only ones that will cut through cast iron. If the pipe is rotten all the snap cutters will do is crush the rotten part.

 

[deezdad]

Portable band saw would slow n steady.

 

[salvageV6]

Got about 4" room behind the pipe so that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

The places I'm cutting it at aren't rotted from what I can tell.

I'm going beyond the rotted section and it's connecting bell/hub to the next section which appears to be good and will cut it there.

The next section does contain a branch to the sink and bathtub drain so there's not much side room to get a cutting tool in there.

Got about 1/2" of coupling pipe for the fernco if I cut it straight which isn't much.

Not wanting to replace the iron 45 fittings to galvanized 1 3/4" or 2" drain if I can help it.

Not sure they make CPVC Y or T fittings that would work to couple the drain in.....

Don't want this to become the project from He!! either.

I will start with cutting and leaving the hub and stub of the rotted pipe in place to see how bad coupling it there would be before attempting to remove the hub knowing it will take a perfect cut to leave enough pipe to couple it before the drain fittings enter.

I may see if notching a fernco is possible so it will fit on a bit further but that's a hack job.

 

[salvageV6]

Here's some pics. Ignore the brass pipe plug hack job I didn't do it.

But it does make snaking the sink drain easy with an electrical snake.

 

[Emiliano Lago]

rent a chop saw from home depot will cut that with ease

 

[turbotroy]

Did you get it fixed?

 

[Pronto]

Had to do a similar repair on an iron pipe at my house. The plumber used that chain cutting tool. It made a loud pop when it cut though. Scared me! He just used pvc to finish it off. No extra hot water running though it.

 

[salvageV6]

Not yet, I have to research where to buy 4" CPVC pipe other than US Plastics that has nice 5 ft. sections but the total price with shipping is around $90.

If it's available at a plumbing supply house locally I may get it there.

And I have to decide which tool I can fit for the cut near the bell, there's not much room up there, chain cutter would work best I think and it's above the oil tank.
Other cut is in the open so any saw/tool would work there.

Pipe is presently cleared and usable and not leaking out the top so there's no immediate rush.

Going to do it after the big snow thaw and warmer weather, the cellar stairs out to get rid of the nasty pipe is blocked by snow right now.

I may even hire a professional to do it although I know they won't have CPVC on the truck.

I appreciate all the cutting advice and looking into borrowing a chain cutter from a farmer my buddy knows that has about every tool ever known to man.

I'd also like to put a 3/4" NPT plug in it or a cleanout fitting in CPVC in that new section but only schedule 80 CPVC pipe is thread-able and tap-able so that pipe would be even more expensive to buy.

I'll probably be planning it until it backs up again....

 

[turbotroy]

Forget about cpcv, it's for chemical/ high heat installations. Add to the fact that the "c" in cpvc stands for the copper equivalent-size wise. Cpvc pipe does not have the equivalent fittings that equate to waste fittings that are normally in the plumbing trade, pvc/waste wise. From what I see in your pics, cut all of that out and put in fernco fittings; a combination wye and 1/8th bend to catch your sink, and fernco couplings on either end to tie it all together. For whatever it's worth, I've been a plumber for the last 30 years. Cheers and hope this helps!

 

[salvageV6]

It is a high heat installation, unfortunately our side arm ancient water heating coil operates at furnace hot water heating temp. of 180 degrees give or take 5-10.

PVC won't work sink drains about 2 feet above the new plastic line and I rinse dishes and car parts at WOT.

I will look at the Ferncos you suggested, thanks for the help.

 

[turbotroy]

I just checked with my rep, and Fernco's are only rated to 140F - sporadically. You can get high heat couplings, I'm working on getting you the info.

 

[turbotroy]

Fernco Pro-flex couplings are rated to 180F.

 

[salvageV6]

I got the high temp. (neoprene) ferncos to couple the 4" pipes plastic CPVC to Iron thanks for the help.

Now if they only made one with a 2" T off the dual 4" coupler.

Here's a link to the CPVC schedule 40, they also have shedule 80 available.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=46128&catid=524

 

[turbotroy]

You might almost be better off getting the Fernco Proflex couplings and just go to a plumbing supply house and get a piece of 4" no- hub and a 4X2 combination and hook it up that way, since your running such high temps.

As a plumber, I'd recommend getting a mixing valve for your domestic hot water side to get that temp down to 120/130F. That would get you out of the "scalding" danger, and you could just cut all that old stuff out and put it back together with regular pvc and off the shelf no hub couplings AND could use a 4X2 Fernco rubber combination. A combination is a 1 piece wye and 1/8th bend (or 45). A "combo" = a tee in drainage.

You have a few different ways you can go, this one would be best. If you have your heart set on cpvc, use schedule 80.

 

[deezdad]

Staying there awhile? Have you thought about a replacement heat/hw system..probly pay for itself relatively quick given energy costs.....

 

[salvageV6]

A long while..... the burner is ok it's a 15 year old Carlin.

K factor is 5.5 to 6 unless the wind is blowing a lot.

No kids around so scalding is only a few times a year for me.

I think I'd get new windows before a new hot water/heat boiler, but an Amitrol blue tank with elec. backup set at 145 or so would be nice, larger capacity would be a must.

A mixing valve would be an option, I haven't looked into those yet.

Oil is only around $3K this year, usually it's $4K.

Thanks for the help it's appreciated.

Gonna work on the problem first.

Do they make anything that will interface anything from plastic pipe into an iron bell/hub? That might work if I get the old pipe cut out and the lead melted out of it.......

Probably not with my luck, got a brand new sawzall for free so that's a good start.

Stilll working on the chain snap cutter as well.

I might be ready by the end of April to actually do the job.