We have an old cast iron drain pipe (maybe 100 years?) going from the
main vent stack to the city drainage system.

I just noticed a damp spot underneath an area of the pipe and a
corresponding light wetness along the bottomside of the pipe. Looking
more closely, there was an irregular hairline crack in the pipe,
extending perhaps 2-3 inches.

The discharge is (currently) clear and odorless and is truly minimal
-- i.e. you can't even see drops dripping it is so slow.

So, short of replacing the pipe, what can i do to fix it?

Thanks

Try to repair it with epoxy or JB Weld. It should repair it. Otherwise
worse case, you can just replace that section of pipe with PVC and 2
no-hub clamps.

Try to repair it with epoxy or JB Weld. It should repair it. Otherwise
worse case, you can just replace that section of pipe with PVC and 2
no-hub clamps.
--------
JB Weld is OK. Make sure the crack is dry through and through first.

A higher quality fix would be to actually weld in a patch. It depends
on how much peace of mind you want.

Could it be condensation?

What about using one of those no hub connectors as a patch. Would reqire
cutting the coupling. For such a very small leak may do fine and is cheap
and quick.

"blueman" wrote in message
...
We have an old cast iron drain pipe (maybe 100 years?) going from the
main vent stack to the city drainage system.

I just noticed a damp spot underneath an area of the pipe and a
corresponding light wetness along the bottomside of the pipe. Looking
more closely, there was an irregular hairline crack in the pipe,
extending perhaps 2-3 inches.

The discharge is (currently) clear and odorless and is truly minimal
-- i.e. you can't even see drops dripping it is so slow.

So, short of replacing the pipe, what can i do to fix it?

Thanks

Even better than the no hub connector, just get one of those rubber
clamp-on patches. It is just a big rubber sheet, basically, with a bar
on each end, that wraps around the pipe. The bars come together and are
screwed tight.

-Kevin

Abe writes:
Try to repair it with epoxy or JB Weld. It should repair it. Otherwise
worse case, you can just replace that section of pipe with PVC and 2
no-hub clamps.
--------
JB Weld is OK. Make sure the crack is dry through and through first.

A higher quality fix would be to actually weld in a patch. It depends
on how much peace of mind you want.

I am not as worried about the current minimal leakage through the
hairline crack (even duct tape seems to control that minimal level .

Rather, I am worried about whether the crack itself will continue to
spread and lead to a more catastrophic failure of the main drain pipe.

Would JB Weld be sufficient to prevent further destabilization of the
pipe's integrity or is the hairline crack really just a symptom of a
much more significant materials failure and a warning sign of an
impending blowout?