It is often impossible to melt the lead out of the joint depending
on configuration, and you will find a drill bit and chisel will
make short work of removing the lead ring. With some of today's
blades or a good chain wrench, it is easier to snap off the hub
and use a "no hub" clamp.

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"alta47" wrote in message
. ..
Thanks all. The job is getting to be bigger than I planned so I
may end up just having a plumber do it. It's in a property that
I just bought (it was a bank-owned foreclosure) and now that I
am working on it, I am finding that a little more of the sewer
line is cracked than I originally thought. The pipe is easily
accessible and breaking it away has been easy. But the leaded
part of cast iron fittings aren't coming off too easily, and I
am concerned that I may end up cracking the remaining good
sections while trying to remove them.

Does anyone know if plumbers are able to heat the lead fittings
enough with a torch to melt the lead and take them apart that
way? If that's what they do, I may be better off just having
them do that. That would prevent damage to the rest of the
sewer line.

Thanks.

P.S. The stack above is supported very well, so I don't have to
worry about it dropping down. There is a L-turn above the top
of the basement foundation wall, and the L is supported directly
on top of the wall. So, there is no way for it to drop down.



"alta47" wrote in message
. ..
I need to replace a short vertical section of cracked 4" cast
iron sewer line. The section to be replaced is a little less
than 4 feet long. The top of the cast iron above the connection
is already supported so it can't drop down when I take out the
bad section.

What I am thinking of doing is breaking out the bad/cracked
section of cast iron, and hopefully ending up with a clean male
end of the cast iron at the top, and a clean female end of the
cast iron at the bottom. To connect the PVC to the cast iron
at the top, I plan on using a rubber connector.

My question is about the bottom part. I would like to insert
the PVC into the female cast iron fitting at the bottom and
then seal that connection with something. I am thinking that
since it is a vertical connection, and it is not under
pressure, this should be able to work without the fitting
leaking. Is there some sealant or product that will work for
this?

Is the alternative to look for a rubber fitting for the bottom
that is big enough on one end to go over the extra large cast
iron female fitting and regular 4" size on the other end for
the PVC male end?