How To Clean Out Old Cast Iron Pipes
The longer cast iron plumbing pipes sit in the ground basement or crawl space without being disturbed the more corroded and stuck their joints become.
How to clean out old cast iron pipes. If the pipe were structurally sound these devices could easily solve the cleaning issue but we often see old cast iron pipe in a less than pristine condition. The pipes were fi. However while cast iron is tough and heavy it does corrode over time.
There are specific items to use that will stop more damage from being caused. Most homes built until the mid-1960s used cast-iron drain pipes. Check with your building department or water department to verify the pipes are clogged and that its not the meter or delivery system.
A jetter running from an open line downstream and back up to the pipe will help wash and pull the junk out to the open pipe. Cast iron is not used for potable water. The traditional method used most of the time to clean cast iron pipes is a drain snake with cable and blades.
If its well water than more likely the pipes are clogged. This method is great when you have a clog but were talking about descaling the inner walls of the old cast iron pipes to get them. We then use a high pressure water jetted to clean the pipe.
There really is no way to clean the pipes out. We use a picote drain cleaning machine to remove rust and loose debris. My main sewer line is cast iron which is probably what you want if you are jetting and will last the longest.
A unique epoxy-impregnated liner is inserted into the old pipe inflates and creates a new pipe structure directly inside the old one. The clean out is a cast iron tee with a brass plug about 2 feet from the foundation. How do you non-destructively remove a cast iron cleanout plug from a pipe.