Seal an old septic cast iron pipe
 

How do you properly seal an old cast iron waste pipe? This pipe was for a septic system used before the home was connected to the town sewer. Right now, the previous owners broke off the pipe at the wall and filled it with expanding foam insulation. The problem is, we have had a lot of rain and the water table is very high. The pipe is now leaking water onto the basement floor. I probably can not cap the pipe because it is broken off and even with the wall. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

How do you properly seal an old cast iron waste pipe? This pipe was for
a septic system used before the home was connected to the town sewer.
Right now, the previous owners broke off the pipe at the wall and
filled it with expanding foam insulation. The problem is, we have had
a lot of rain and the water table is very high. The pipe is now
leaking water onto the basement floor. I probably can not cap the pipe
because it is broken off and even with the wall. Any suggestions would
be appreciated.


Well, really you ought to remove the thing entirely, but a short term
solution is one of those 4" rubber-plugs with metal plates on both
sides, and a bolt through the middle. You slide the whole plug into
the pipe, and crank the bolt tight, with pulls the plates together and
squeezes the rubber against the sides of the pipe.

--goedjn

How do you properly seal an old cast iron waste pipe? This pipe was
for
a septic system used before the home was connected to the town sewer.
Right now, the previous owners broke off the pipe at the wall and
filled it with expanding foam insulation. The problem is, we have had
a lot of rain and the water table is very high. The pipe is now
leaking water onto the basement floor. I probably can not cap the
pipe
because it is broken off and even with the wall. Any suggestions
would
be appreciated.

Well, really you ought to remove the thing entirely, but a short term
solution is one of those 4" rubber-plugs with metal plates on both
sides, and a bolt through the middle. You slide the whole plug into
the pipe, and crank the bolt tight, with pulls the plates together and
squeezes the rubber against the sides of the pipe. goedjn

But as soon as you can, replace the whole mess with 4" PVC, connected by
the 4" rubber pipe connectors that tighten with a screw driver. Iron
pipe is obsolete.

In article , Goedjn wrote:

How do you properly seal an old cast iron waste pipe? This pipe was for
a septic system used before the home was connected to the town sewer.
Right now, the previous owners broke off the pipe at the wall and
filled it with expanding foam insulation. The problem is, we have had
a lot of rain and the water table is very high. The pipe is now
leaking water onto the basement floor. I probably can not cap the pipe
because it is broken off and even with the wall. Any suggestions would
be appreciated.


Well, really you ought to remove the thing entirely, but a short term
solution is one of those 4" rubber-plugs with metal plates on both
sides, and a bolt through the middle. You slide the whole plug into
the pipe, and crank the bolt tight, with pulls the plates together and
squeezes the rubber against the sides of the pipe.

I can't think of a reason *not* to fill it with concrete...
--goedjn

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Thank you for the responses. Since this system is so old and I dont know what kind of mess is underground in the back yard, I took the last response and filled it with hydraulic cement. I put about 4 large balls of hydraulic cement into the pipe and made it even with the wall so I can paint it. That stopped the problem immediatly. Thank you!