PVC or Cast Iron in NYC?
I am getting some estimates for a renovation and I have a question. Do you know if NYC permits to install PVC for the sewage pipes or they all must be cast iron? Any experience with PVC? Is it really that noisy?
I am getting some estimates for a renovation and I have a question. Do you know if NYC permits to install PVC for the sewage pipes or they all must be cast iron? Any experience with PVC? Is it really that noisy?
Just some notes.
Cast iron does not last a lifetime.
And PVC has actually been around for about 150 years and began mass production in the 20s. I’ve used PVC and ABS for drainage starting about 15 years ago, and I’ve not yet had a call back.
Cast iron is not an expensive pipe material. PVC is just a little cheaper. What you save in handling the lighter material, you lose in supporting it to keep it from sagging. There is no significant benefit to using PVC for drainage.
I don’t think anyone said otherwise, signofthetimes.
cast iron is MORE expensive to install and is LESS noisy than pvc.
Stick with cast iron inside. You will hate the noise of the PVC.
Plastic will last longer than cast iron, especially at the joints using the rubber couplings. They can also leak. It is orders of magnitude cheaper than cast iron.
I don’t think I’d characterize it solely as “doing it on the cheap.”
Why don’t you get the one that will last a lifetime? Why get plastic when cast iron is far superior? Forget doing it on the cheap and do what is best for the house, now and in the future.
PVC is acceptable for three storey/two family or smaller.
And yes, it’s noisy, quite a bit more than cast iron which is practically soundproof in a normal wall. That said, the PVC soil pipe can be insulated to deaden most of the sound with ordinary batts or other forms of insulation.
It’s also quite a bit cheaper than cast iron.