Cracked Waste Line
Hello again brownstoners! You all have been such a great resource for this new homeowner, thanks. We’ve got a visible crack in our waste line in the the basement–nothing too crazy looking–but we want to fix it before it gets worse. Does anyone have a plumber recommendation? What should this cost me? Is it a…
Hello again brownstoners! You all have been such a great resource for this new homeowner, thanks. We’ve got a visible crack in our waste line in the the basement–nothing too crazy looking–but we want to fix it before it gets worse. Does anyone have a plumber recommendation? What should this cost me? Is it a huge job? The crack is about 3-4″ right at the point the waste line goes into our cement basement floor.
Thanks!!!
i agree with donatella. it is generally a bigger job than some epoxy and takes an honest plumber. we had the same problem, had to have it flushed and we had to remove part of the cracked pipe. it is better to be safe than sorry in a situation like and while it does cost $$, it is worth it in the long run. good luck with your decision.
I discovered a crack in my waste line when I started to have a slight leak from the pipe. The line was blocked and the pressure had started to worsen a hairline crack. I would recommend getting a good and honest plumber to look at it. I highly recommend John Hlad. I have been using him for years. He is a very honest and capable guy and has always done a great job by me. He also helped me with the problem – it turned out to be a mess, had to get a sewer guy to flush my jammed up line and then remove the part of the pipe which was cracked. It was a matter of time before the whole thing fell apart. It was an old piece of pipe which was badly corroded. Anyway, my experience with John is that he will never do something which doesn’t need to be done and will lay out alternatives. It is Hlad Plumbing – they are listed.
i remember 20 years ago finding a cracked pipe in my mom’s basement. it was cracked from ceiling to floor but not leaking. it took me a week to figure out it was and abandoned pipe…..
if the cracking does not continue then the epoxy could last for many years. just be sure to clean the pipe well before application. try this first, it’s the cheapest and possibly the only solution you may need.
oh wow. this is much bigger than I thought it would be. Our crack is also on the top and is not leaky yet. How long will the epoxy last?
Thanks for the advice!!!
The right fix is $$. The stack needs to be supported with bracing so it doesn’t shift when the section is removed. If it moves, leaks could be created above.
Then break out the concrete and dig down to the next fitting and replace. PITA.
I’ve used epoxy as well for things like this.
epoxy sounds like a good idea. i’ve used it on steam and sewer pipes alike. even used it when the pipe was cracked all around… clean the pipe with a wire brush to get a good adhesion and seal it with the epoxy. keep an eye on it every so often, and if it continues to crack then revisit the issue with a plumber.
We had a decent size crack in the cast iron pipe in a very old, short segment just before it exited the basement in Philly. it didn’t leak or smell (it was on the top of a horizontal pipe). Our plumber, who we’ve always trusted and done right by us, suggested just to fill it with the two part gray epoxy plumbers putty. Seemed to work fine, has not opened any further and is a solid fix.
my suggestion is to get an entire new pipe. the patching thing does not work very well and will end of splitting and causing more of a headache, the odor, the mess in the basement etc. more likely than not it is an original pipe to the house and over 75 years old. just get it done completely! just my suggestion.