Help! Cast iron drain pipe repair question

[l;ongtimealaskan]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and looking for suggestions on how to repair a leaking drain pipe. The 2.25 inch OD cast iron drain pipe in the photo is the drain pipe for the vanity sink. As far as I know that is the sole purpose of that drain pipe. Our downstairs bathroom was destroyed by a pinhole leak in a copper pipe that went to the kitchen sink upstairs. I'm redoing the bathroom and the last things I have to do (or so I thought) was reinstall the vanity, the vanity plumbing, and set the toilet. I had the vanity installed and the plumbing connected. When I tested for leaks I was surprised to find water in the hallway outside the bathroom. With the water shut off under the vanity there was no leak but it leaked while the water was flowing so I decided it had to be a drain issue. I cut a hole in the wall. The second photo shows a long crack on the back side of the drain pipe. The crack goes all the way to the concrete. I have no idea why it leaks now but didn't leak before except that we had a fairly decent earthquake a while back. The vanity sink is the only water that goes down this pipe so there is very little water pressure to deal with.

Any suggestions on how best to repair this? I thought about trying Flex Seal or one of those products but after watching some of the videos where they test these products they didn't sound that great as a fix for this.

I wondered about getting a small squeeze tube of 100% waterproof silicone and try to fill the crack with as much silicone as I can squeeze into it, let it cure for a few days and then use some of that pipe wrap that is supposed to stop leaks to completely wrap the entire length of the pipe to help reinforce the silicone. Maybe double wrap if it helps strengthen it.

I also thought about buying a piece of PVC or ABS pipe the next size larger , split it lengthwise, fill one half with 100% waterproof silicone and band clamp it to the side of the drain pipe with the crack. But I'm guessing there are better solutions than this available.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dmmsr]

Replace it. I have made temporary repairs by filling cracks with a wax and sometimes putting roof tar over top. But this was a temporary fix just to get through a few days. The amount of time and money wasted on sealants are not worth it. You will be frustrated and even if you were to seal it, it won't last long and you will have a bigger problem when you have it finished. It will most likely continue cracking to the end of the pipe if it hasn't already.

When you replace through the slab put some armaflex pipe insulation around it before cementing. This way it has some movement so it doesn't break as easy if it does.

Do yourself a favor and replace it and you won't have any worries.

 

[Twowaxhack]

I see a jackhammer in your future…..

 

[frontporch]

There are epoxies that will bond to cast iron pipe. I know the plumbers here have experience breaking up slabs and repairing drain pipe but as a homeowner it’s a repair beyond my skill set.
Although not the best long term solution I would be tempted to find a good epoxy and follow the directions and attempt a repair. Better yet if you are comfortable cutting the cast iron why not cut to a few inches above the slab and replace with abs above You could attempt an epoxy repair on the “stub that is coming from the floor and use a clamp like the one you have to join the cast and ABs. Just a thought

 

[dmmsr]

There are epoxies that will bond to cast iron pipe. I know the plumbers here have experience breaking up slabs and repairing drain pipe but as a homeowner it’s a repair beyond my skill set.
Although not the best long term solution I would be tempted to find a good epoxy and follow the directions and attempt a repair. Better yet if you are comfortable cutting the cast iron why not cut to a few inches above the slab and replace with abs above You could attempt an epoxy repair on the “stub that is coming from the floor and use a clamp like the one you have to join the cast and ABs. Just a thought

The Crack is too wide to seal properly if you could. Epoxy will seperate from the cast iron and not bond to it long enough to last. If the Crack extends too close or into the slab then a fernco will not seal it. If it does not extend into the slab it's only a matter of time that it will. It's already compromised. Water will seep out causing water damage and mold over time.

I understand your process on this. I'm the same way too. Wanting to find an easier and cheaper solution if possible. But this will give them a setback that is undesirable. Whether immediately or in the near future.

Everything is open now. Spending at least 1500 to 2500 in material plus labor/time to put everything back and have to reopen it in a year or two if lucky, is not worth the risk. Do it once and be done and not have to worry if spores are festering in the walls. And I'm not saying that you said would not work for a long time. But why risk that chance for a 3 to 4 hour job of jackhammering, piping and cementing. Only to waste 2 hours plus material to seal it with epoxy.

 

[l;ongtimealaskan]

frontporch and dmmsr ; Thank you both for your thoughts and ideas. Not exactly being flush with money nor capable of doing the jackhammering and concrete work I was leaning along the thoughts of frontporch. My leaky drain pipe drains the bathroom vanity sink so there is no large quantity of water and there is minimal water pressure. Having just finished installing tile I used a Mapei waterproofing material on the concrete board to waterproof the concreteboard. That product is designed to stick to the concreteboard and it really sticks. It is also really tough and rubbery so it isn't easy poking a hole in it. I painted some on the cast iron pipe to see how well it holds there. Assuming it sticks to the pipe, my thought was to fill the crack with this material, let it dry completely and then wrap the entire pipe with a pipe wrap to help secure it in place. I thought something like that might work because there is no water pressure to speak of. If the material sticks to the pipe I am inclined to try it. I talked to a plumber yesterday. He estimated about $2400 to repair the pipe. He thought my idea was worth trying before going the more standard route. If I went that route I would leave the drywall unfinished for the time being so I could check it periodically and see if it leaks. If it works it would be easy enough down the road to move the vanity, finish the drywall, paint it, an put the vanity back in place.

 

[frontporch]

If possible, you could cut out the drywall behind the pipe and make an access panel from the next room to keep an eye on things

 

[dmmsr]

If possible, you could cut out the drywall behind the pipe and make an access panel from the next room to keep an eye on things

Please do not take this offensively. If you're going to hack this then I would try a different plan. Cut the cast and Leave about 6 inches or so out of the ground. By a small piece of 1 1/4" copper. Might be able to purchase from home depot. Sleeve the copper into the cast and fill the remainder of the crack with wax. Use a proper size fernco and install it on copper connecting to the cast with the copper extending out of the fernco. Then switch to 1 1/4 "pvc. Install 1 1/4" sanitary tee and put a 1 1/2 x 1 1/4 reducing fernco to connect vent.

I am not a fan of this but at least it will get past the Crack and cement. Only thing is it might come out of the Crack if the drain it backs up.

As far as the amount you're spending. Actually doing it the right way, Renting a chipping gun or purchasing a Bauer chipping gun from harbor freight can will be relatively cheap. Buying maybe with online coupon 60 to 70 with the chisel bits. Renting might be 15 to 20 dollars cheaper. Renting a jackhammer is relatively cheap as well. Material with cement maybe an additional 30 to 40. Now this is based on only chipping down to where the Crack ends. Renting or buying a right angle grinder would be good to cut a nice clean cut.

I understand money is an issue. As far as ability to do the work maybe harder but this is reasonable if you can do it or throw someone 200 to 300 cash to jack hammer for you would be better then trying to epoxy and waste 15 to 40 dollars. The only way an epoxy type of material will work properly is if you have the inside of the pipe cleaned, descaled and dried out Then brushcoat the entire inside all the way around the inside so it is one complete coating of the entire section. And two coats are necessary.

Doing it right the first time is always cheaper in rhe long run. Doing it within your budget can be harder but you won't have to worry.

One last thing of this long winded reply.
Did the plumber talk to you about going through your homeowners? A lot of times if you a regular policy and not just a dwelling policy, the insurance may cover about 2/3rds the cost. Rheu would cover the cost of the jackhammering, digging, backfilling and cementing. They will not cover the cost of the failure, that is the plumbing portion. I have seen in some cases due to age of the customers and how long they were in good standing they covered it 100percent even the deductible. Now that happened a couple times but is rare.
If you have coverage call and talk to a rep. You may have to open a claim and see if they will. Does not mean you have to go through them but at least see that option.

 

[l;ongtimealaskan]

DMMSR
"Please do not take this offensively." Absolutely no offense taken. I truly appreciate your comments and suggestions. You have been very helpful. Thank you. It is clear to me you know far more about how to do this project than I probably ever will and I am going to save your post on what to do so I don't lose it.

If it sounds like I’m dragging my feet, I am. I'm old, I'm cranky (at least my wife says), and I'm a Taurus. You thought your post was lengthy, I hope you don't go to sleep reading mine.

About 2 years ago a hot water pipe to the kitchen sink developed a pinhole leak and destroyed the downstairs bathroom directly below. The water leak upstairs was on the same wall as the tub surround in the downstairs bathroom so the tiled tub surround in the downstairs bathroom and insulation had to be taken out to dry everything and avoid mold problems. While the bathroom was torn apart I replaced every copper pipe that went to the kitchen upstairs and every copper pipe in the walls that might fail and affect the downstairs bathroom, hoping to avoid a repeat of the damaged bathroom. It was a slow process since my wife and I were both dealing with severe medical issues.

This winter I decided to rebuild the downstairs bathroom. I reframed and reinsulated the end of the bathroom with the tub surround, reset the bathtub, patched, replaced, and textured the drywall as needed, installed concrete board, installed the tile on the tub surround, repainted the walls, put in new vinyl flooring, reinstalled the vanity, and fixed a couple of minor water leaks on the pipe connections to the vanity sink and drain. The very last thing I needed to do is reset the toilet. I’ve been working on the bathroom off and on for just shy of 2 months, certainly not a fast pace but probably not too bad for someone my age with heart and back problems. And darn if it didn't look really good. I had one tile I couldn't get to set right so one corner sticks up a bit more than it should. Otherwise I was as happy as a clam at high tide.

After reinstalling the vanity and fixing the minor water leaks on the vanity’s water and drain connections I started to go upstairs for a cup of coffee. There’s a small puddle of water on the floor in the hallway. Where the heck did that come from? I went back into the bathroom and rechecked the pipe fittings under the vanity. Nothing was leaking and both the hot water and cold water valves were open. So I’m puzzled. How can I have a leak that only leaks when I turn on the faucet. Water leaks when I turn the hot water faucet on and it leaks when I turn the cold water faucet on but there are no leaks from the pipe and drain fittings under the vanity nor with the faucets turned off. It had to be the drain pipe in the wall leaking. So I tested that theory by pouring water from a container down the drain and, indeed, it is the drain that is leaking. That drain never leaked before the bathroom got flooded but after looking at that crack in the pipe I’m sure that crack didn’t just develop. It looks like it happened long ago.

Anyhow, I digress. The long and the short of it is I just finished rebuilding that sorry piece of real estate. I don’t want to have to buy new flooring again, only 2 weeks after I just bought it and installed new flooring, so I figure I have little to lose by trying a few things before tearing apart my bathroom again. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I understand my idea of using a concrete board waterproofing material to fix a leaky drain sounds a bit flaky. I am testing my idea before proceeding. For a start I took 2 empty coffee cans. I drilled a 1/8th inch hole in one can and a 3/16 inch hole in the other on the side of the can just above the bottom of the can. I applied several coats of the waterproofing material, and let it dry. I filled both containers with water last night and there is no leakage so far (24 hours). There would be some small level of constant pressure on the patch covering the hole as long as the can is filled with water, whereas water going down the drain is sporadic and short-lived. I have a 4 foot long 3 inch diameter ABS pipe that I'm going to look for tomorrow. It's buried under about 2.5 -3 feet of snow so I may not find it. I'd like to test that before I proceed.

The cost will be minimal. The waterproofing material is some left over from waterproofing the concrete board. I was impressed with the strength of the waterproofing material when I was working with it on the concrete board. I thought surely it would be damaged from me scraping the thinset mortar from the grout lines but there was just some slight damage in one or two spots where I really struggled to break loose some mortar. It seems to adhere well to most anything I have tried it on. It feels a bit rubbery so I'm guessing it will flex well as needed.

Am I going to reinvent the wheel? I'm sure I'm not, but I am very intrigued by this product and can find no reason to think it won't work (Other than Murphy's law "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"). You are undoubtedly right the best thing is to repair it in the proper way. At least this buys me a reprieve from tearing up part of my newly refinished bathroom.

I’m just not ready for that yet. I hope that makes some sense. But I will likely be contacting you for more advice in the near future. Please don't hold my delaying the probable inevitable against me.

 

[dmmsr]

It sounds like you are pretty handy which is good. And great job on all rhe work you've done. Sounds like I could've used you to help me in some of my home projects my wife screams at me for not finishing .

The water proofing material can be great. A few things though. I seen online they tested it on a cardboard box and it held, great. But it was the inside not the outside. Did you apply it to the outside of the coffee can? And patching a hole is different than splitting about 1/8" and filling that in. The material is supposed to be a liner on the inside of what you are waterproofing. When applying you have to apply it to the corners let that setup then to the base and walls. I have a feeling and almost sure if you apply it on the outside of your pipes it will not work due to not lining it and making it cup the water. This is why you need to apply it to the inside of pipe but you would need to apply it all around evenly. But it would need to be completely clean as well. Our company does do brushcoating which is applying an epoxy type of liquid to the pipe in the inside and it will fill in any cracks. But even yours might be a bit too wide for it to be a candidate. And not cost effective either if you do not need to go that far with it. Also how will it adhere to cast? I'm not sure of the coating on the cast of how well it will bond.

I used regard in my shower for the base and walls. Seems great and a great idea. I had a contractor friend who uses this stuff all the time help me out. He did his shower and held up from 15 years ago. Now being the plumber I am I wanted to flood test it for a minimum of 24 hours even though it should be 72 hours. He never did this himself with any showers he installed. After 8 to 10 hours it bubbled up pretty bad. So I figured I had to scrape it off and redo it. I called the mfg and they told me that it was okay that it bubbled. I did not feel comfortable. So they told me to get as much loose off as possible and make a primer solution first then apply it. When I tested it after finishing it still bubbled, slightly not as bad.


So i would suggest in your case then is what I mentioned in the earlier post - Cut about 6 inches from the floor with a grinder and sleeve an 1 1/4 piece of copper as much as you can in the pipe as I said before. This will at least give a more permanent resolve. Also fill the remainder of the crack with wax. Push the wax in good. You could put a couple of ferncos around the cast to help seal if it so if it does backup and goes between the two pipes and come through the wax as easy. The wax by itself should be strong enough but if you wanted to do this for a little reassurance.

 

[frontporch]

Two months for a renovation seems lightning fast to me for a DIY job. You also don’t come across as cranky. Best decision in my mind is do what makes sense with what you can afford. I did read “hallway” and still advocate for an inspection panel but it sounds like the current leak was obvious. Also would waterproofing the entire outside of the pipe to get a consistent membrane also help?

I like the copper pipe solution proposed. Very resourceful and makes sense that you want any and all water to make it’s way below the slab. Is the wax used because it is “self healing” moving as the pipes might move? I am also curious what the proper job would involve. Beak the concrete enough to find an uncracked section or replace to a cut horizontal run with abs pipe connected to cast with a fernco fitting? . Just trying to learn

 

[dmmsr]

Yes, The 100% right way is to chip or jackhammer and take out what is broken and replace with new pvc and connect with no hub coupling. Then bring up new.

Wax is something that can stick to almost everything and withstands water flushing through. This is for sewer gases and water coming out if it the drain gets clogged.


The water I'm afraid will get between the membrane and pipe it is coated all the way around. And the impurities in the cast, again I'm afraid it will not adhere properly.

 

[l;ongtimealaskan]

It sounds like you are pretty handy which is good. And great job on all rhe work you've done. Sounds like I could've used you to help me in some of my home projects my wife screams at me for not finishing .

The water proofing material can be great. A few things though. I seen online they tested it on a cardboard box and it held, great. But it was the inside not the outside. Did you apply it to the outside of the coffee can? And patching a hole is different than splitting about 1/8" and filling that in. The material is supposed to be a liner on the inside of what you are waterproofing. When applying you have to apply it to the corners let that setup then to the base and walls. I have a feeling and almost sure if you apply it on the outside of your pipes it will not work due to not lining it and making it cup the water. This is why you need to apply it to the inside of pipe but you would need to apply it all around evenly. But it would need to be completely clean as well. Our company does do brushcoating which is applying an epoxy type of liquid to the pipe in the inside and it will fill in any cracks. But even yours might be a bit too wide for it to be a candidate. And not cost effective either if you do not need to go that far with it. Also how will it adhere to cast? I'm not sure of the coating on the cast of how well it will bond.

I used regard in my shower for the base and walls. Seems great and a great idea. I had a contractor friend who uses this stuff all the time help me out. He did his shower and held up from 15 years ago. Now being the plumber I am I wanted to flood test it for a minimum of 24 hours even though it should be 72 hours. He never did this himself with any showers he installed. After 8 to 10 hours it bubbled up pretty bad. So I figured I had to scrape it off and redo it. I called the mfg and they told me that it was okay that it bubbled. I did not feel comfortable. So they told me to get as much loose off as possible and make a primer solution first then apply it. When I tested it after finishing it still bubbled, slightly not as bad.


So i would suggest in your case then is what I mentioned in the earlier post - Cut about 6 inches from the floor with a grinder and sleeve an 1 1/4 piece of copper as much as you can in the pipe as I said before. This will at least give a more permanent resolve. Also fill the remainder of the crack with wax. Push the wax in good. You could put a couple of ferncos around the cast to help seal if it so if it does backup and goes between the two pipes and come through the wax as easy. The wax by itself should be strong enough but if you wanted to do this for a little reassurance.

I did apply the waterproofing only to the outside of the can. And you are right about a hole versus a crack. I should have realized that. My new test: I cut a 1/8 inch vertical strip out of the coffee can and spread the waterproofing over the crack in several thin layers. The 1/8 inch vertical gap is about 2.5 inches long. Once the gap was completely closed I put about 4 more layers of waterproofing over the entire area of the 1/8 inch crack. That coffee can of water with the 1/8 inch gap has gone 24 hours with no leakage.

It sounds like you are pretty handy which is good. And great job on all rhe work you've done. Sounds like I could've used you to help me in some of my home projects my wife screams at me for not finishing .

The water proofing material can be great. A few things though. I seen online they tested it on a cardboard box and it held, great. But it was the inside not the outside. Did you apply it to the outside of the coffee can? And patching a hole is different than splitting about 1/8" and filling that in. The material is supposed to be a liner on the inside of what you are waterproofing. When applying you have to apply it to the corners let that setup then to the base and walls. I have a feeling and almost sure if you apply it on the outside of your pipes it will not work due to not lining it and making it cup the water. This is why you need to apply it to the inside of pipe but you would need to apply it all around evenly. But it would need to be completely clean as well. Our company does do brushcoating which is applying an epoxy type of liquid to the pipe in the inside and it will fill in any cracks. But even yours might be a bit too wide for it to be a candidate. And not cost effective either if you do not need to go that far with it. Also how will it adhere to cast? I'm not sure of the coating on the cast of how well it will bond.

I used regard in my shower for the base and walls. Seems great and a great idea. I had a contractor friend who uses this stuff all the time help me out. He did his shower and held up from 15 years ago. Now being the plumber I am I wanted to flood test it for a minimum of 24 hours even though it should be 72 hours. He never did this himself with any showers he installed. After 8 to 10 hours it bubbled up pretty bad. So I figured I had to scrape it off and redo it. I called the mfg and they told me that it was okay that it bubbled. I did not feel comfortable. So they told me to get as much loose off as possible and make a primer solution first then apply it. When I tested it after finishing it still bubbled, slightly not as bad.


So i would suggest in your case then is what I mentioned in the earlier post - Cut about 6 inches from the floor with a grinder and sleeve an 1 1/4 piece of copper as much as you can in the pipe as I said before. This will at least give a more permanent resolve. Also fill the remainder of the crack with wax. Push the wax in good. You could put a couple of ferncos around the cast to help seal if it so if it does backup and goes between the two pipes and come through the wax as easy. The wax by itself should be strong enough but if you wanted to do this for a little reassurance.

I’d like to ask some questions about cutting the cast iron pipe off and using a sleeve.

The cast iron pipe extends about 11 inches above the concrete. It appears to be connected to the ABS pipe by one of those 2.25 diameter Fernco clamps. You said to cut the cast iron pipe about 6 inches above the concrete and stick a 1.25 inch diameter piece of copper pipe inside the cast iron pipe.

The cast iron pipe has an outside diameter of roughly 2.25 inches. I don’t know what the inside diameter is. You said use a 1.25 inch diameter copper pipe. Wouldn't that be too small? The copper pipe would just fit loose inside the cast iron pipe? What would keep it from dropping down to the elbow with the horizontal pipe?

How long a piece of copper pipe?

And why a copper pipe as opposed to an ABS pipe? The 1.5 inch inside diameter ABS pipe might work as a sleeve but it might be a tight fit.

 

[dmmsr]

.
Use Something like this. Just need to get the right size. When you tighten it it will not drop any further down. As far as how far down, I would let it drop to the 90 and pull it back up 2 to 3 inches. It will probably be loose. I just don't think a piece of 1 1/2" copper will fit. You can try. As far as being too small you are allowed for 1 1/4" for the sink drain.

Also the can is not as thick as the cast. Hard to make a call on that. Plus any oils, dirt will not help it to seal. Does not matter about how many layers as it does the first application. If it cannot adhere and seal the crack then it will get in between and you will have a mess.

 

[l;ongtimealaskan]

Please do not take this offensively. If you're going to hack this then I would try a different plan. Cut the cast and Leave about 6 inches or so out of the ground. By a small piece of 1 1/4" copper. Might be able to purchase from home depot. Sleeve the copper into the cast and fill the remainder of the crack with wax. Use a proper size fernco and install it on copper connecting to the cast with the copper extending out of the fernco. Then switch to 1 1/4 "pvc. Install 1 1/4" sanitary tee and put a 1 1/2 x 1 1/4 reducing fernco to connect vent.

I am not a fan of this but at least it will get past the Crack and cement. Only thing is it might come out of the Crack if the drain it backs up.

As far as the amount you're spending. Actually doing it the right way, Renting a chipping gun or purchasing a Bauer chipping gun from harbor freight can will be relatively cheap. Buying maybe with online coupon 60 to 70 with the chisel bits. Renting might be 15 to 20 dollars cheaper. Renting a jackhammer is relatively cheap as well. Material with cement maybe an additional 30 to 40. Now this is based on only chipping down to where the Crack ends. Renting or buying a right angle grinder would be good to cut a nice clean cut.

I understand money is an issue. As far as ability to do the work maybe harder but this is reasonable if you can do it or throw someone 200 to 300 cash to jack hammer for you would be better then trying to epoxy and waste 15 to 40 dollars. The only way an epoxy type of material will work properly is if you have the inside of the pipe cleaned, descaled and dried out Then brushcoat the entire inside all the way around the inside so it is one complete coating of the entire section. And two coats are necessary.

Doing it right the first time is always cheaper in rhe long run. Doing it within your budget can be harder but you won't have to worry.

One last thing of this long winded reply.
Did the plumber talk to you about going through your homeowners? A lot of times if you a regular policy and not just a dwelling policy, the insurance may cover about 2/3rds the cost. Rheu would cover the cost of the jackhammering, digging, backfilling and cementing. They will not cover the cost of the failure, that is the plumbing portion. I have seen in some cases due to age of the customers and how long they were in good standing they covered it 100percent even the deductible. Now that happened a couple times but is rare.
If you have coverage call and talk to a rep. You may have to open a claim and see if they will. Does not mean you have to go through them but at least see that option.

• I had your comments followed by my questions/comment in red but it didn't come out that way here. Sorry
• \ut the cast and Leave about 6 inches or so out of the ground. ok
• Buy a small piece of 1 1/4" copper. By small piece you are talking about length? And the length would run roughly from the height of the vanity drain pipe where it goes through the wall down into the concrete about 2-3 inches above the elbow?
• Sleeve the copper into the cast By sleeve the copper you mean put the copper pipe into the cast iron pipe?
• fill the remainder of the crack with wax. By fill the remainder of the crack with wax are you talking about the 6 inches of crack in the cast iron pipe that remains above the concrete? That will not be easy to do in the space I will have to work in. Or are you talking about the space between the outside of the copper pipe and the inside of the cast iron pipe? Because it seems like there need to be something between the copper pipe and the cast iron pipe in case the drain backs up.
• Use a proper size fernco and install it on copper connecting to the cast with the copper extending out of the fernco. I’m lost. I thought the copper pipe was sleeved into the cast iron pipe on the bottom and the copper pipe at the top would connect to ABS pipe using a Fernco. What is there now is an ABS T with the vent pipe connected to the top of the T, the vanity sink connected to the center of the T and the cast iron pipe connected to the bottom of the T. The bottom of the T has about a 5 inch piece of ABS and the 5 inch ABS connects to the cast iron pipe with a Fernco. There is roughly 16 inches from the bottom of the T to the concrete.
• 
  
• I think I was going to do everything you listed here but I was fixing to cheat a bit. I was going to remove the Fernco, cut off the cast iron pipe at 6 inches above the concrete, cut off several inches off the 5 inch ABS pipe that comes from the T, install a coupler/ Charlotte pipe and a short length of ABS pipe and a Fernco to connect the ABS pipe to the copper pipe. Depending on the length of the coupler, 16 inches should give me enough space to do that. That way I don’t have to mess with installing a new T and connecting the vent and vanity drain. All of my changes would be made below the existing T. Would that work?
• Then switch to 1 1/4 "pvc.
• Install 1 1/4" sanitary tee
• put a 1 1/2 x 1 1/4 reducing fernco to connect vent.
  
  
  
• Here’s an update on my waterproofing the crack in the cast iron drain pipe. I cleaned the cast iron pipe by sanding it, followed by washing the pipe with soap and water, followed by rinsing the pipe very thoroughly several times with clean water and then wiping it with an alcohol cloth. I cleaned the crack in the pipe the same way but used an old toothbrush to clean it. After letting it dry thoroughly I filled the crack in the cast iron pipe with 100 % silicone for bath and kitchen projects. I let it dry thoroughly and then cleaned off all the excess silicone leaving the crack filled with silicone. Then I put 5 or 6 coats of waterproofing completely around the pipe and on the concrete around the base of the pipe. I let it set for about 36 hours. I ran roughly 4 gallons of water down the drain today and no leaks yet. I’m pouring the water into the drain pipe so the pipe isn’t getting the larger volume of water like it would if I had the vanity sink connected to the drain. Before I applied the waterproofing I was pouring water down the drain like I did today and the pipe leaked fairly quickly.

 

[l;ongtimealaskan]

Frontporch.

Here's a photo of my bathroom tile job. The light isn't very good. The tile is grouted in this photo but the corner seams and the tub/tile seam have not been caulked in this photo. It isn't anything fancy, just a basic tile tub-surround. I used Schluter rod for trim instead of bull-nose tile. My wife and I like the look better.

My coffee can with the 1/8 inch crack that I sealed with waterproofing is still not leaking. I cut a 1/8 inch vertical strip out of the can, sealed it with waterproofing, let it set for 24 hours and then filled the can with water. Not only is it not leaking there are no bulges or soft spots visible. I think it will be one week tomorrow (Wednesday). That isn't a lot of water pressure but It is some pressure and it is constant. I think I'm going to leave the wall open for now and move the vanity back into place and connect the water. The worst case scenario is the pipe will leak and I will still have to do a more permanent fix. I don't see that I have anything to lose for trying it.

 

[frontporch]

Looks nice. I have also used the Schluter edging. Not only looks nice but allows flexibility on the wall tile you can use. I used floor tile on my walls in the shower. I also don’t like the crazy cost of matching bullnose if you can find them

I was able to frame a shower alcove with the edging

Hopefully you remain leak free. I would suggest being careful what you put down the drain in terms of nasty cleaners. Maybe remove and clean the trap if there are any clogs