I found a wet dining room wall recently and with a friend's help tore into the wall. I knew that my cast iron sewer stack abuts the wall and was afraid of a leak. We opened up the wall all the way to the ceiling and around the lower part of the wall that was wet. The wall is lathe and horse hair plaster.
The horizontal crack was significant, measuring at least 3 feet in length. It is patched with silicone for now. I noticed up on the ceiling there is a bell and it forms a Y. To the left is where my toilet and bathroom upstairs drains. Going straight up is where it meets the roof and vents the sewer gases.
Had a licensed plumber (friend of my nephew) over who said he could do a repair and section it with PVC with the proper fittings (Ferno, I believe). It's a tight spot for sure as it abuts another wall on the other side. $550 was his quote for the job.
Had another plumber come for another opinion/quote. He said he could also section it with PVC but that's not up to code, that the correct thing is to install cast but it is going to be a very intensive project costing me at least $1500. He is concerned that I may get future leaks as cast continues on up.
I asked about outfitting the entire stack going up to the roof with PVC and he said I could do that but I would have to break into my bathroom walls and then at that point, I may want to consider a bathroom remodel (though I know that a remodel was done sometime in the mid 80s as the toilet has a PVC drain and piping underneath it and the sink is all pvc piping (not sure about the tub but that was also an 80s project so I am thinking it was also done then).
I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I don't know what to do. I need some advice on what I should do and what I should think about both short and long term. I've been in this house 4 years and yes, I had been thinking of a remodel at some point. I don't know if I'll be staying in this house much more than 3 years. Just trying to do the right thing.
The horizontal crack was significant, measuring at least 3 feet in length. It is patched with silicone for now. I noticed up on the ceiling there is a bell and it forms a Y. To the left is where my toilet and bathroom upstairs drains. Going straight up is where it meets the roof and vents the sewer gases.
Had a licensed plumber (friend of my nephew) over who said he could do a repair and section it with PVC with the proper fittings (Ferno, I believe). It's a tight spot for sure as it abuts another wall on the other side. $550 was his quote for the job.
Had another plumber come for another opinion/quote. He said he could also section it with PVC but that's not up to code, that the correct thing is to install cast but it is going to be a very intensive project costing me at least $1500. He is concerned that I may get future leaks as cast continues on up.
I asked about outfitting the entire stack going up to the roof with PVC and he said I could do that but I would have to break into my bathroom walls and then at that point, I may want to consider a bathroom remodel (though I know that a remodel was done sometime in the mid 80s as the toilet has a PVC drain and piping underneath it and the sink is all pvc piping (not sure about the tub but that was also an 80s project so I am thinking it was also done then).
I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I don't know what to do. I need some advice on what I should do and what I should think about both short and long term. I've been in this house 4 years and yes, I had been thinking of a remodel at some point. I don't know if I'll be staying in this house much more than 3 years. Just trying to do the right thing.
